For Myself - A Kagome Story
by Kayla LoveAnime
Summary: The group has been restless with no new leads on Naraku's whereabouts. The final battle approaches and enemies of old support our makeshift crew of friends in battle while Kagome looks to uncover a new place to belong. Rated M for later chapters. my first fanfiction. Feedback appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA ANYTHING. This is my first Fanfiction. Reviews appreciated

 **For Myself – A Kagome Story**

Finally! The time has come. "I sense a jewel shard, and it's big!" shouted Kagome. "Naraku!" Inuyasha yelled. Suddenly, the winds picked up and dark, stormy clouds took over the sky, hiding the afternoon sun.

 **Flashback**

The group had left Edo a week ago and headed southwest following a rumor about lower level demons disappearing. Since they had no other leads and had yet to come across Naraku in several weeks, they were growing anxious and decided to investigate the cause.

As they approached a village about 4 days travel from the Forest of Inuyasha, Kagome noticed how lush the green grass was as if fertilizer had already been developed, but she knew it was because there was a water source nearby, and so she asked Inuyasha to trek towards the water so that she could refill her canteen. With the stream in view, they had stumbled upon a woman and her child running from a demon. It was ugly to say the least with its' yellow eyes, deformed arms and lower limbs, and its body was green. Its face was full of bumps that looked like pus would ooze from it if you pricked it with a needle; and as creepy as those combination of features were, it was mortifying to see how quickly it moved towards its prey. "Run away," Miroku yelled as Sango followed up with "Hiraikotsu" to cut off the predator's path to the humans. As the demon halted to avoid the boomerangs strike, Inuyasha hit it with the "wind scar", not leaving a trace of the enemy.

"Are you ok?" Kagome asked the woman. She had brown eyes with shoulder length hair, fair features with curves that were made for supporting children. The child looked upon them, weary at first, but as Kagome kneeled down and smiled at her, she seemed to calm down and smile back. Her smile reminded her of the big toothy grin that Rin had shown her time and time again when she was missing a tooth. "Thank you so much for saving me and my precious Suri. I don't know what we would have done without you. How can I repay you?" And right on cue, Miroku follows thru with "It was our pleasure. My companions and I have been traveling for several days and could use a place to rest for the day. Also, we would appreciate any information you can provide about demons disappearing in the area as well."

"I will be happy to accommodate your group. My name is Sara and we live in the village over the hill. Please follow me" said the lady. "Sara, I must say that you are quite beautiful and I wanted to know if you would be interested in bearing my childr—""SMACK".

"Stupid Miroku" muttered Shippo. Kagome often thought that Miroku does that for Sango's attention. Speaking of attention, it's been awhile since she's felt Sesshomaru's presence. For the last 4 months, she had picked up on his aura at least once per week, courtesy of the training she had been doing with the priests a day's walk from Edo. Her powers have enhanced so much, that her stamina has increased by several times; she now carries a sword and have mastered the basics; she can create bows and arrows from her reiki, and lower level demons aren't a match anymore.

As they near Sara's home, several people nodded and some gave suspicious glances, which I'm sure are because of Inuyasha's cute puppy ears. Her home was a typical hut, slightly roomier than Kaede's hut with the main room large enough to accommodate the entire group and leave space. In no time, she whipped up some soup and passed around some bread whilst Sango and I assisted with handing out the meal.

"In regards to your question about the disappearance of demons" Sara started, "the villagers have begun talking about it lately. We have started drawing water and other essentials throughout the day to prevent traveling to the stream at night. A few of the men were speaking of it while I was in the Market saying that the demons are being eaten by another demon with the appearance of a Baboon. I've never physically seen this demon but one of the men survived thanks to that baboon eating the other demon."

"Naraku!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Calm down, Inuyasha. It is a good thing we decided to investigate this rumor. Would you mind pointing us in the direction of where this demon appeared, Sara?" Miroku asked humbly.

"I don't know if he will still be there, but I can tell you all are strong. I will show you the way when you all are ready. It is about an hour's travel to north, and from there you will head slightly west."

"Let's get going now! Come on, wench. We don't got all day and if we start now, we'll arrive before sundown." Inuyasha exclaimed.

"Inuyasha! Don't call me a wench. You either use my name or I am not going anywhere!" Kagome yelled back.

"We don't have time for you to be in your feelings about what I call you. Just do as I say!" Said Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha! Sit!" And with that, his face created a crater in front of Sara's hut.

"He never learns," said Sango.

"Can you use my name now, or will I have to S-I-T you again?"

After much teeth clenching and several grunts later, Inuyasha said "Fine. Let's go so that we can find Naraku, Kagome."

"I would love to" said Kagome in a sarcastic tone and a smile on her face.

The group started out on the path and waived their goodbyes. During this time, Kagome smugly thought about how she made Inuyasha use her name. At the end of the day, he is dog demon, and dogs need training, so clearly she needs to train him appropriately. Of course, she's not really going to attempt to do that. She had decided that she and Inuyasha would never be together about a year ago, since he can't see her for who she is, let alone his lack of respectful words.

As they near what they believed to be one hour worth of travel, they started heading westward as Sara suggested. Soon after, she felt it. The sun was approaching the horizon making the sky turn pink, purple and orange as a result. The temperature started to cool but felt wondrous against my skin.

"Inuyasha, pull out Tetsuiga!" Kagome yelled as she readied her bow and arrow.

"What are you talking about wench?" Inuyasha said.

She narrowed her eyes at his choice of words yet again, but then revealed the powerful barrier that was erected before them by placing her hands on it in an attempt to disrupt the flow of energy and purify it. Inuyasha noticed as it started to sway, and soon did as she asked, revealing the red Tetsuiga to break thru the barrier. When the barrier fell, a wave of miasma burst forth, deadening the lush green grass and the forest trees we traveled within. It was unbelievable really - when you consider the hatred and evilness of Naraku – that the barrier had no taint, nor feel of holiness. It just was. This was why they hadn't come across him, nor could they sense him. But now, they could feel him and every evil being within the surrounding area.

 **End Flashback**


	2. Chapter 2

**Previously …..**

Naraku's barrier was removed and he appeared. The group could feel all the demons within the surrounding area. Miasma burst forth with strong winds whilst ominous, stormy clouds covered the sky.

 **Now…..**

"Naraku! You bastard!" Inuyasha yelled while charging in head first towards the demon.

"Ah, look who stumbled upon death's door. I must say the fact that you found me out for a change is refreshing. And my lovely Kagome… You look as delectable as ever. Care to hand me over the remaining jewel shards?" Naraku cooed.

Naraku shot tentacles at Inuyasha as he attempted to get close enough to strike at him directly. Meanwhile, hordes of demons entered the fray and descended the hill from the structure Naraku crawled out of. The look of it was similar to a temple or shrine, like the one from Sango's village when he impersonated the lord there. There were red beams to support it with shoji sliding doors as the main entrance that led deeper into the grounds.

"Hiraikotsu."

"Wind Tunnel."

"Hit the mark."

Everyone could be heard battling and fighting with demons that approached their person. Kagura had begun to fight Inuyasha with her "dance of the dead" and you could hear him yell "Wind Scar" to subdue the multitude of demons, but it was not enough. They just kept coming. As Kagura continued with her dead puppets, it occurred to Kagome that Kagura had stronger attacks than that but she was not using them. Kagome took a moment to glance at her and made eye contact – just enough to tell me what she has always mentioned before – she just wants to be free. Kagome nodded to inform her that she was aware of her meaning. Although Kagome felt maybe there was more meaning to it, she would think about it as time allows. she knew that they needed to get to Naraku to have any chance to fully end this.

Her thoughts soon become interrupted as a demon emerges from the ground and swiped at her. With barely enough time to react, Kagome grabbed her sword and countered, which deflected most of the attack, but she was still injured on her arm by its claws. The wound was not deep, but tingled, which meant poison. As she circled the demon, she attempted to concentrate her reiki on the wound to purify the poison. A second later, the demon lunged at her again in a fierce combination of right and left hooks – kind of like one of the best boxers in the world such as Mike Tyson, but less graceful. She parried, then countered, then parried again and went on the offense to decapitate it immediately with a horizontal strike of the sword.

"My, my, Kagome. One would almost think that someone took the time to train you with how you severed that demons head." Naraku said.

During Kagome's fight, Naraku managed to close the distance to Kagome while Inuyasha still fought with Kagura, and Miroku focused more on using his staff and Sutra's since the Saimyosho's arrival to the battle field. Sango mounted Kirara some time ago as a tactic to get better access to Kagura, but the demon hordes kept her preoccupied. Rain soon sprinkled the clearing with the promise of a downpour not too far off.

"Naraku! Why don't you come down here and fight me" Kagome said as she sliced through lower level demons.

"As much as I want you to be a part of me, I prefer the view from up here" said Naraku.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled from across the field as he noticed Naraku's proximity to her. He didn't know how he would get to her in order to protect her from the evil hanyou.

Looking across the field, death would be the best description of the area. Trees that were once standing lush and green, were now barren and leafless, if they were standing at all. Wood littered the once flower filled area with branches in every direction. The ground was stained with blood and gore, demon limbs, demon heads, and black goo from the deaths, or re-deaths, of those slain from Kagura's dance of the dead.

"I would never become a part of you! I would die 1000 times over before I ever became a part of you!" Kagome hissed. "Eat this!" she said in her battle cry as she readied her arrow for attack. She enhanced her arrow with a surplus of reiki in an instant, just enough to do some serious damage to Naraku. As soon as she prepared to release the arrow, she sensed too late, an attack from behind: an arrow was shot, aimed for my heart presumably. And wouldn't you know it: Kikyo had shown up. Again. As unwanted as ever.

"Itai (ouch)!" Kagome huffed as she removed the arrow from her shoulder. She managed to move just enough to avoid the fatal blow. Even though her shoulder was hit, she released her arrow on Naraku in which he sent hordes of demons to intercept it. It was slightly off target courtesy of Kikyo, and thus severed pieces of Naraku's legs. He hissed in pain and sent more demons after her. Kagome noticed that Kikyo was preparing another arrow for her.

"Copy! It is time you give me the rest of my soul." Kikyo hissed.

A smug smile crossed Naraku's face as he knew he would be able to use Kikyo as a distraction to retrieve the jewel shards from Kagome.

"My dear Kikyo. You always show up at the most opportune moments. I am more than willing to help you get your soul back if you get the jewel shards for me." Naraku cooed.

Kikyo narrowed her eyes at Naraku disgustedly, but gave no response. That in itself may as well have been an answer.

During this exchange, Miroku slowly made his way towards Kagome to offer some support while analyzing the situation they were all currently in. Sango descended to ground attacks to give Kirara a break from flying and expending more energy than necessary. Inuyasha, ever so slowly, drew back towards the center of the clearing while still fighting off Kagura who started using her "dance of blades" attacks.

"Kagome, how are you holding up?" Miroku asked breathing heavily.

"A little winded and Kikyo shot me in the shoulder, but other than that, still capable" Kagome said with an irritated voice.

Kikyo shot another arrow and Naraku tried impaling them both with tentacles and demons, but Kagome raised an impenetrable barrier to formulate a plan with Miroku.

"Thank you. I could use a quick breather, but I have been thinking. Normally, Naraku spies on us and he would know exactly where we are with Kanna's mirror. I have not seen Kanna and Naraku seemed surprised when we broke the barrier," Inquired Miroku.

"You are right. And Kagura, I am fairly certain, is not really trying to harm us due to the eye contact I made with her earlier," said Kagome. "What do you think it means?"

"If Naraku has been eating demons, perhaps it means he is weakened for some reason. He should have been able to detect us without any issue since we were so close to the barrier. And looking at him now, he is taking longer to regenerate his body. Kikyo will only get in your way. Confine her to a barrier and we will prepare another of your arrows to take on Naraku," planned Miroku.

"Ok."

Just as the conversation ended, Naraku released 2 higher level demons in order to keep the group busy, especially Kagome and Miroku. The demons looked like ogres with one eye and a horn atop their heads. They were approximately 7 feet tall, wide and built like mini titans, one blue and one green with fangs poking out from their bottom lip. Kagome generated a barrier around Kikyo that would confine her until she was ready to release it. The 2 demons approached Kagome and Miroku quickly, separating them from each other. The battle was a close quarters fight that led Miroku to use his staff and Kagome to use her sword. The speed was faster than your average demon and Kagome had a difficult time keeping up. She was still holding her own, but the collection of small scratches and scrapes was starting to wear her down as blood started trailing down her leg to her feet.

The demon was vigilant in the pursuit of his prey. He has been attacking Kagome for 30 minutes, showing just how much stronger she had become. She faltered in her step after she parried another clawed attack, and just as the demon was about to inflict what would be a severe wound to her chest, Sesshomaru entered the fray wielding Tokijin and decapitated him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Previously….**

Naraku released 2 upper level demons upon Miroku and Kagome. They had been fighting for 30 minutes. During this time, Naraku still had not finished regenerating. Kagome was holding her own, but all of the small wounds were starting to take a toll on her and she almost succumbed to a severe wound until Sesshomaru appeared and decapitated the demon.

 **Now…..**

"Sesshomaru," Kagome whispered. She didn't know how long she was fighting but at some point, it became a flow. That one instance where she parried, she should have countered. If he didn't show up, she was sure she'd be laying in a pool of blood waiting for Naraku to finish her off. She leaned over and put her hands on her knees which were exposed since she was wearing her school uniform. She really needed to catch her breath.

"Miko." Sesshomaru said with distaste on his face as he looked at Naraku.

 **Flashback to before Sesshomaru arrived**

"Jaken. Prepare Ah-Un for departure and get Rin. We leave shortly." Said Sesshomaru.

"Hai, Lord Sesshomaru." Jaken said as he went to inform Rin that they would be departing shortly.

"You wretched human. Listen to me when I speak to you. I don't know why Lord Sesshomaru keeps you around when he has his faithful servant beside him. Now put down those flowers and go to Ah-Un," green imp hissed.

"Rin will take her flowers with her master Jaken," Rin said with a huff.

After Rin was mounted on Ah-Un, the group set out from camp and headed northwest as Sesshomaru patrolled his borders. He strolled leisurely, as usual, taking in the nature of the green trees, lush green grass and the occasional flower patch they came across. Although it was nearing the evening, birds still chirped, cicadas spoke with one another and fished popped in and out of the water in a nearby stream. Sesshomaru could hear all these things which made him feel at peace unlike the castle and his many servants aiming to please him. Something that pleased him even further was the lack of human stench that drifted to his nostrils when he was too close to a human village.

A few hours into the trip, a familiar scent wafted to his nose, one that he reluctantly admits to missing. At some point during his travels, Sesshomaru would unintentionally wonder towards the half-breeds group in order to catch a glance and scent the Miko. While he was at the castle in his study, he let his mind wander to how he kept a close, but far distance from Inuyasha's group. He didn't notice he was doing it, until he noticed he was doing it, and snarled at himself in disgust. That's when he stopped following after the half-breeds group and returned to the castle for a short while to complete some tasks, sign some documents, and verify that his state of affairs were in order. Although her scent is more than pleasing to his sensitive nostrils with the smell of fresh rain and lavender, she is still human. Many people believe that Sesshomaru hates humans, which is not true. He only hates his half-brother, and prefers not to mingle with the unpleasant scents of humans. Even still, this one ningen onna managed to invade his mind yet again.

He found himself heading in the direction of the scent again. He decided that he will not be controlled by anyone or anything, and whatever he wants, he shall have, and damn it, if he just wants to smell her scent to soothe himself, then he shall.

While en route to the detour, another set of scents entered his nostrils which resulted in narrowed eyes and a cold voice.

"Jaken. Prepare camp and do not leave the barrier until I say. Rin. I shall return," said Sesshomaru.

"Hai, Lord Sesshomaru," The both said in unison.

Sesshomaru leapt into the air, suppressed his aura and took off quickly on his youki cloud, racing towards the scent of the Miko's blood and the smell of Naraku. Usually, he would simply walk to something or someone that currently held his interest, but Naraku was the one thing that he wanted to rip to shreds, decapitate, mutilate, poison, kill, and then use Tenseiga to bring him back and do it all over again with vengeance. The idea of it all brought a smirk to the cold lord's face. But the scent of _her_ blood unsettled him and his beast, which meant the group was currently locked in a heated battle.

As he travelled further towards the northwest, the clouds continually became darker and rain was upon him. The rain has always been welcome during his travels as it seemed to cleanse the mind and soothe him during his ventures. But this rain seemed ominous, lightning breaking across the sky in spider web forms like the demon himself, no doubt caused by Naraku. The trees below, once green and vibrant, were dying as he approached the clearing from where the battle was taking place.

A few miles out from the battle, her blood scent was more pronounced with anger and frustration, changing from a scent of fresh rain to an enticing scent of the wildest strawberries burning in a sweet, delicious fire. Sesshomaru noticed his beast pawing at the back of his mind, but paid him no mind since he was already headed towards the battle. He could hear the clashing of swords, the half-breed yelling "wind scar," and the slayers boomerang moving through the air slaughtering demons in its wake. And then, he saw her.

She was holding her own against a higher level Cyclops demon with a sword no less. Although he's seen it fastened to her hip before, this was his first time observing her use it in battle. He was impressed considering the skill level she had shown in battle prior to her possessing the sword. Dodge, block, counter, parry. Her formed showed that she had a clear understanding of the basics and could learn even further if she chose. He could read the flow of her moves after observing her fight. He watched her battle until she faltered and parried an attacked that should have been countered or avoided. Without a seconds notice, he allowed his beast to merge with him, eyes rimmed red and true gold, as he rushed to the forefront and decapitated the demon that dared to interfere with his observations.

"Miko."


	4. Chapter 4

**Previously….**

Sesshomaru's point of view ended with him arriving on the scene and decapitating a demon that was about to severely injure Kagome.

 **Now…**

"Miko." Sesshomaru said.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru. Not that you need any extra help, but I believe that Naraku has been weakened significantly. He has barely recovered from my sacred arrow that hit him well over 30 minutes ago. Also, he didn't even know we were so close to him, although we were only on the other side of his barrier."

"Hn," Sesshomaru replied blandly.

Sesshomaru stood regally with an air of royalty and superiority. His long, silver hair swayed slightly in the wind, drenched from the rain over his perfect face. His skin was fairer than any goddess, not a blemish in sight. Red adorned his upper eyelids with one magenta stripe along each cheek – proof of his demonic heritage and lineage to the Silver Inu.

And off he went with Tokijin in hand, slaying demons as he approached Naraku. Kagome focused her reiki to provide first aid to any wounds of hers that were still bleeding. The battle had more than likely reached its second hour since it commenced, and they were all growing weary. Sesshomaru joining in the battle was a game changer, and they needed to take advantage of that. 'Time for me to suck it up, take a deep breath, and finish this', Kagome thought.

"Sesshomaru! Come to assist your brothers attempt to defeat me?" Naraku spat. "It's nice to see how close you two are (insert sinister laugh here lol). Well unfortunately for you, I don't intend to die today."

"I will end you!" Sesshomaru hissed. His eyes went from true gold, rimmed with red, to full on blood thirsty red. Kagome readied her reiki-made bow and arrow to prepare for a full blown, demon purifying, ass whipping to accompany Sesshomaru for his attack, even if he didn't need her help. With his impeccable hearing, he would hear and understand her actions without her verbally explaining anything to him.

"Inuyasha!" she yelled. "Send your wind scar to Naraku!"

"If I had time to attack Naraku instead dealing with of all these damn demons, (swings sword again) don't you think I would have?" he yelled back.

"Sango! Cover Inuyasha! We only need a few seconds."

"Hai. Kirara." Sango said and mounted the fire cat to send Hiraikotsu down towards Inuyasha to buy him a short, few seconds of time.

"Now. Inuyasha!"

"Don't tell me what to do, wench! Wind scar," Inuyasha yelled.

"Don't call me a wench! Die, Naraku!" Kagome followed.

Sesshomaru, with Tokijin in hand, used its' massive demonic aura to overwhelm the demons approaching him, clearing the path towards Naraku. Kagome poured everything she could muster into her arrow and sent it on Sesshomaru's path towards Naraku to follow his attack. The light surrounding the arrow burned a brilliant pink as it whizzed mere inches from Sesshomaru's face. He made no attempt to move although she could see his eyes widen just a fraction, indicating he was aware of her attack. She had honed her skills so much that no demon deemed friendly to her, would even be affected by the reiki enhanced arrow, aside from some slight discomfort and tingling sensations.

Naraku tried to retreat further towards his castle, sending more demons toward Sesshomaru but to no avail. As quickly as he sent them, they were instantly purified with Kagome's arrow, as it quickly reached the jewel shard embedded in Naraku's chest. Inuyasha's "wind scar" helped to limit the space of Naraku's retreat whilst cutting through some of the demons Naraku released, also making it easier for the arrow to hone in on its target and prevent his regeneration. Sesshomaru swung Tokijin with a force Kagome had never seen before; its intent was clear – finish Naraku!

"Curse you, SESSHOMARU!" Naraku spat as his red eyes narrowed and looked upon him with pure hatred. His fang drew blood from his bottom lip as he bit down hard, knowing this was the end. Kagome's arrow continued to purify the jewel, while Sesshomaru's attack mutilated and destroyed Naraku's body, sending bits and pieces of eerie flesh to the earth.

Slowly, she started walking towards the jewel as it fell from the sky. Demons, one at a time, slowly dissipated into nothingness now that there was no one to control them from moving on and finding some sort of peace. All that was left in the clearing was blood, a barren forest floor, death, more blood, and us.

At one point, everyone could be viewed carrying all of the same expressions across their face: confusion, disbelief, hope, and shock. The group dared not utter a word, for fear that speaking would break some unknown illusionary spell causing the scenes from moments ago, to once again surface. While taking slow, steady steps toward the jewel, Kagome heard the metal of a sword being placed back into its sheath. This caused her to look towards Sesshomaru, who very briefly glanced her way, before he resumed watching the clouds and rain slowly disperse from the sky to reveal the warm glow of the evening sun at twilight.

He would never let his guard down around his enemy, which confirmed for the group of travelers that the enemy had finally been defeated, and they could all release the breath that they had been holding.

"Is it really over?" Sango questioned, looking around for Kohaku to appear out of nowhere. Then, she turned her attention to Miroku. "Hoshi. Is it...?"

"Ah. I can't believe it… I never thought I would be rid of Naraku's curse and live long enough to consider a family." Miroku's eyes shimmered with tears of joy and relief as he gazed into the eyes of the strongest woman he had ever met. Finally, he thought. He put on his best serious face to prepare himself for what he would say next.

"Sango. I know that throughout our travels, you may not have thought much of me considering my "very friendly" ways when it comes to women. But I am in love with you, and I never thought I would live to see the day that we'd destroy Naraku and rid myself of the wind tunnel. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

As Kagome reached over to pick up the jewel, she snapped her head towards Miroku after hearing his proposal. Her lip twitched with anticipation, anxious to turn up into a smile, and her eyes sparkled waiting to hear Sango's reply. Inuyasha was being himself, typical mood killer, running towards and shouting Kikyo's name. When he reached her, he yelled a string of venom-filled words that continued to pour from that filthy mouth of his, telling Kagome to lower the barrier around her. But, she was so wrapped up in Sango and Miroku's moment, that she simply ignored him.

"Oh, Hoshi." Sango started, eyes brimming with promise. But just as quickly as it showed in her eyes, hesitation was present with her next statement. "I am not really feminine as you should know."

"It shapes your lovely personality," Miroku countered.

"And the fact that I am stronger the most human females means I am far from being a submissive, go with the flow type of woman…"

"Your strength is what gives me strength. I wouldn't change it for the world," Miroku replied.

"Then, if you promise to love me and only me and be by my side forever, I would love to marry you, Miroku."

"I promise."

They embraced each other as tears of joy ran down Sango's face and my own. Kagome was so happy for the woman whom she considered my sister.

As she started to walk towards them, she remembered the barrier she placed around Shippo to keep him trapped inside and hidden from being attacked and lowered it. As soon as it was down, he bolted her way. She intended to meet him and begun to raise her arms to catch him, but suddenly, she could not. As she fell forward, the world began to fade black and the last scene she remembered before the darkness took over her, was silver strands of hair swaying in the wind and being grasped by the waist.


	5. Chapter 5

**Previously….**

Naraku had finally been destroyed, cursing Sesshomaru with words until his end. Miroku proposed to Sango, whom accepted his proposal. Kagome passed out.

 **Now…..**

Shippo approached Sesshomaru slowly, as he was the one who caught his make-shift mother, before she fell to the ground. Sango and Miroku looked up worriedly for the friend. Although Sesshomaru was no longer an enemy, he wasn't necessarily a friend either, considering the numerous times he had tried to kill Inuyasha, and the few times he tried to kill Kagome. Sango hesitantly started to approach, when Miroku stopped her with his "let's see what happens" face.

"Sesshomaru! What the hell do you think you're doing with Kagome?" Inuyasha screeched.

Sesshomaru looked down at the sleeping beauty in his arms, with his facial expression as stoic as ever. Even though he could tell she was just sleeping from blood loss, fatigue, and lack of energy, it still unnerved him that she was unconscious. Briefly, he glanced at the half-breed, whom noticed his red rimmed eyes with true gold in the middle. 'He has some nerve yelling at me whilst he hovers over the dead priestess in a protective stance', Sesshomaru thought.

"Did your eyesight die in the battle with Naraku, half-breed?" Sesshomaru said.

"Why are you holding her? Get your filthy claws off of her!"

"Hn. Why do you care? You have clearly chosen the dead one over living flesh. Her scent is all over you."

"That doesn't matter. I found her first so she is mine! Plus, she owes me the jewel so I can make my wish," Inuyasha said with gritted teeth.

"I see," Sesshomaru said with finality.

He then turned and started walking, preparing to leave the clearing and return to where he deposited Rin and Jaken prior to approaching the battle, with the priestess in tow. Miroku stood from his seated position atop a fallen tree and slowly approached the demon Lord.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" Miroku question.

The demon Lord stopped in his tracks, the only action that suggested he was listening to the monk.

"Will you hurt her?"

As he heard the priests' question, he scoffed internally at the idea of being asked if he would hurt her. She would be dead if he wanted to hurt her. Still, the monk seemed to be the most educated and inquisitive in the group, so surely he would understand Sesshomaru's meaning. The one more likely to hurt the priestess at this point, is the foolish half-breed over the worthless trinket she holds securely in her hand. Sesshomaru loathed the day another half-demon coveted the jewels power and became another Naraku. She would take care of it. The fact that her barrier still surrounds the dead one, even in her current state, indicates she has not deemed it safe enough to remove it.

"This one does not intend to harm her." He briefly allowed the monk to notice another glance from his person, towards the half-breed and the dead priestess, figuring that the monk would put 2 and 2 together. "She may return when she has recovered."

"I understand. Please take care of our friend." Miroku bowed to show his respect for the demon Lord. He did, in fact, understand the glance toward Inuyasha with what had just transpired but moments ago. Sango looked to Miroku with a worried expression, in which he soothed her by stroking hair black locks, tinted purple by the sun that was slowly disappearing behind the horizon.

Sesshomaru started to depart, but could feel the kits unease. He knew that Kagome was like a mother to the kit, a charming quality to her feisty personality. He would hate for her to wake and be worried for the kits safety, just as he would should Rin disappear.

"Kit. If you wish to follow your mother, you may ride along my shoulder."

Shippo hesitated and furrowed his orange eye brows as he thought of Sesshomaru's offer. He already said he would not harm his mother and knew that Sesshomaru traveled with Rin, but above all else, Sesshomaru was an honorable demon who would not lie. There was no doubt who was stronger between he and Inuyasha, plus, Sesshomaru would most likely not abuse him as Inuyasha occasionally does with a blow to the head, leaving a lump. His decision was made. He mounted Sesshomaru's left shoulder since he carried Kagome with his right arm and they were about to take off when Inuyasha charged at him with Tetsuiga.

"Foolish, half-breed," Sesshomaru snarled.

He laid Kagome at his feet on his youki cloud and removed Tokijin in a swift counter attack, unleashing a furious hell upon the foolish whelp that dared to try to harm what HE decided to protect. The fury of the attack, as expected by a Diayokai, was so forceful that it knocked Inuyasha into Kikyo and the pink barrier that surrounded her fell. They both fell unconscious while souls poured from Kikyo's body, and Inuyasha's stomach bled profusely, as if four claw marks slashed across his stomach with untrimmed nails. The scars were jagged.

Sango and Miroku looked at each other, faces filled with concern. They were taken aback by the sheer power of Tokijin that the two of them realized, if he really wanted to kill Inuyasha all those times, he would assuredly be dead. Miroku glanced back toward Sesshomaru, and just briefly caught the smirk upon his lips that resembled an expression of "evil satisfaction."

After the attack, Sesshomaru took note of the destruction he caused. Inuyasha lay in a pool of blood, and the priestess had souls draining from her already dead body. He smirked in satisfaction as he ended her miserable existence. Again. He knew she would be caught in the blast, not like he cared, but he had not expected to see one of the souls hover over Kagome and slowly enter her body, causing it to glow a soft, blue light. Her body continued to glow leaving him with a tingling sensation, so he looked to Miroku for answers.

"Explain."

Miroku stepped forward. "Towards the beginning of our travels, Kagome was kidnapped by a witch who intended to strip her body of her soul in order to resurrect Lady Kikyo. Because Kagome's soul was so massive, she was able to call back most of her soul, and only a portion of it resurrected Kikyo. Kagome has been without that portion of her soul for a couple of years now, and may experience some extreme discomfort for the next few days. But she is safe and healthy, I assure you."

As he looked down at the miko, he noticed the soft features of her face. It was not as round as the first time he saw her. Her jaws angled slightly, making her chin narrower. Her long bangs covered her eyebrows that were full. Her ears and hair fit her face perfectly. 'She was beautiful.' Thinking of the miko in such a way no longer surprised him, but he had not been able to appease his curiosity thus far. Perhaps, he only took note of her because she was fairer than any human and most demons. Either way, this was not the time for such thoughts. He glanced towards the monk.

"Hn. I shall take my leave."

"Safe travels, Lord Sesshomaru."


	6. Chapter 6

**Previously….**

The battle ended. Inuyasha attacked Sesshomaru who was taking Kagome with him. Sesshomaru incapacitated the hanyou and took out Kikyo in the process. Kagome's soul returned.

 **Now….**

Sesshomaru took off on his youki cloud and headed to retrieve Rin, a few hours travel towards the west. During the flight, he noticed the Miko's sweet scent still wafted from her body heavily, causing him to breathe deeply to inhale the scent of her blood, and think of how it made him feel. 'If I can smell it so pronouncedly, others will be able to as well.' With that thought in mind, he detoured a short distance towards a hot spring he's frequented during his patrols. It would not due to attract unnecessary attention, although only absolute fools would approach his person whilst his youki flares.

The cave was set close to the peak of the mountain, off to the side. You could take a few steps down from the entrance, but other than that, the drop was steep. It was one of the few places he could rest due to its inaccessibility by at least 95% of youkai in the area. As he walked into the cave, you could see majestic markings along the cave walls that appeared to glow in the dark caused by crystals of blue and purple protruding from the markings. The floor was bare except for a few furs he had brought and set off towards one side of the main opening. Further into the cave and down a slope was the hot spring he required to prepare to cleanse the Miko. It was surrounded with a small patch of lush green grass that resembled a moat, with splashes of blue roses here and there. This was the only place he'd ever seen this color of this type of flower.

He laid the miko down on the patch of grass as he thought of how to proceed. Thinking clearly, she would need a change of clothes once she has been cleaned, otherwise, the cleaning would go for naught. Logically, he placed a barrier around the cave and quickly departed to the nearest village he could smell. It was not too far from the mountain and close to his border, so the yokai there knew of my patrols near their village. He found the clothing shop and requested a kimono in the deepest blue color with pink Sakura petals embroidered towards the bottom and the ends of the sleeves. The shop keeper was more than happy give it to him for free. He picked up some fruit and dried meat on the way out of the village and headed back towards the cave.

After entering the cave, he proceeded down the slope and back to the spring where the miko still lay unconscious. Then, he prepared to remove his swords and armor. He put them out of arms reach of her, should she wake up or roll over. He considered for a short while whether or not he would take off his haori. The purpose of today's visit was to clean the miko, not himself. 'But, I am already here. No point in not washing myself.' He decided to leave on his hakamas out of respect for the miko. He could smell that she still retains her purity, plus he had no desires to hear her scream - as she had done once upon a time - due to the nature of our proximity.

Once he fully prepared himself, he slowly removed her clothing. The lacy material she wore for a chest bandage seemed very appealing to him. As he looked at the material upon her smooth, translucent skin, his beast starts to stir and sends me images of what the miko would look like being dominated beneath him. His eyes slowly rimmed red and he began to growl lowly, indicating his irritation and slight arousal at the suggestive images. Once the lacy black material was removed, he fiddled with it until his curiosity was sated. It is certainly more durable and supportive than the chest bandages most females wear. He would not remove her other under garments for 2 reasons: She is more modest than any female he's ever met, and he almost didn't trust myself. Sesshomaru smirked at the thought. Finally finished with the preparations, he proceeded towards to the edge of the spring.

As he slid into the springs, he pulled Kagome against his upper body, her back to his chest, and rested her head upon his right shoulder. The feel of her flesh against his skin set ablaze a fire in the pit of his stomach, further stimulating his beast into action. _**Take her**_ _._ But Sesshomaru refused. He would not succumb to his primal desires, especially with an unconscious female. He had several experiences in the art of pleasing a woman, and the Killing perfection was every bit of perfection behind closed doors as well. The few demons fortunate enough to be pleased by him, were very lucky indeed. It was only in times of dire frustration that He even entertained the idea of sating his lust. It was never more intimate than it needed to be. Purely physical. He didn't even pleasure those demons with anything but his hardened member and each time, sent them into an exotic abyss. When he finished, he left quickly. There was no point in giving the demoness false hope in thinking that they were worth more than that: a simple, quick rut.

Returning his attention to the miko, he began to ease her lower into the water until she was neck deep, rubbing his hands all over to remove the sweat, dried blood and grime from her body. Once he was sure the bulk of the foreign particles were clear, he lathered some unscented soap to his palm after pulling her up from the water. This soap has been here a few months since he last came to this cavern after patrolling his lands.

As he continued his ministrations, Kagome begin to whimper slightly, at the contact his gentle hand and fingers made with each wound on her body. Although he understood her vocalization and why she did it, he still couldn't fully contain the twitch that resulted in his groin each time her mouth hummed. In order to maintain his renowned control, he would stop, pause, focus, and then continue again until another muffled sound escaped her. He observed her skin start to glow and tingle his body, causing his youki to respond to the threat. He felt no danger from her aura, so he immediately pulled back his youki to allow her to continue, while keeping alert for any danger of her powers. He began to feel raw power within in the miko, and shifted her slightly to glance upon her face, wondering what was taking place in her mind to cause her current reactions. He rubbed her stomach region clean and began to lick the wounds she sported to seal them close and free them from any poison that could have been caused by the Cyclops demon from before. He licked on her shoulder, to the backside of her arm, on the back of her lower back, and another lick to her right thigh. She was delicious, sweet and juicy; so amazingly tasteful that he growled lowly to stop his beast from surfacing, trying not to lose the little control he still held. Her blood called to him like honey calls to a bear, compelling him to taste the honey while suffering all of the bee stings because of its worth. At one point, he could have sworn one of the whimpers was a moan, due to the ever so light scent of arousal that had crossed his sensitive nostrils, even with the steam of the hot spring. He stopped bathing her completely after that and opted to just sit in the water to relax instead, and revel in the feel of her body to his. 'Yes. That is the safest thing to do to keep the beast at bay,' he thought.


	7. Chapter 7

**Previously….**

Sesshomaru cleaned up Kagome after retrieving new clothing and food for her in a nearby village. He had to focus and keep himself in check while bathing her.

 **Now…..**

Although unconscious, Kagome felt her body relax itself as she was carried off into the world. She could feel that she was being carried, but couldn't do anything about it since she could not force her eyes to open after the massive amount of energy she had spent to finally pulverize Naraku. The arms that carried her felt safe and secure, so she had no urge to stir even if she could. As she laid upon the cave floor atop the firs, her mind drifted to a place of comfort: a field of flowers near the top of a cliff that dropped down into a gorgeous waterfall that seemed isolated from the rest of the world, as if to be in a separate dimension of space and time. She walked towards the top of the cliff to take in the beauty of her surroundings and began to lay in the flowers while looking at the bright blue sky. The clouds swam endlessly from the caress of the wind. The wind blew her hair in her face as she lie there, which gave her the urge to look up and back, whereas she noticed a beautiful woman approaching.

The woman was really pretty with fair skin that looked soft to the touch, just like the flowers she walked upon. Her hair was blacker than night with a blue tint, waist length and wavy, which made your eyes continue to flow down to what appeared to be long legs, although the woman couldn't be more than 5'5. Her eyes locked onto Kagome, which were an enchanting hazel that called for attention.

"Hello," Kagome called out while standing and bowing slightly.

"My dear Kagome. No need to be so formal. I am Midoriko, and I have come to thank you for reuniting the shards of the jewel and protecting it in my stead."

Kagome stared wide eyed in disbelief, but could not have doubted the pretty lady, for she possessed angelic features that suggested she could never tell a lie.

"No need to thank me. It was my fault the jewel was broken in the first place," Kagome mentioned, thinking back to the time when she tried to purify the crow, but shattered the jewel instead.

"Be that as it may, I still need to thank you for purifying the jewel. It was never my intention that it be created and used for evil purposes. I've fought inside of it for so long, I have lost track of time and the years, but finally, I can rest peacefully." Tears of joy slowly streaked down the face of both women while each took in a deep breath, relieved that Naraku was finally dead.

"What will you wish for Kagome?"

What would she wish for indeed? She had been thinking about a wish for sometime, but anything she thought of, just didn't sound as if it was as pure as needed to make the jewel disappear forever. 'Perhaps that's what I need? To wish the jewel to disappear forever?' But she was also worried that any wish would taint the jewel once more, and perhaps some other powerful demon or hanyou would come to steal it again.

"I am unsure of what to wish for, because I don't think anything would be pure enough." She decided she may as well answer honestly. Perhaps Midoriko could provide some insight into what is considered "pure."

"I understand your concern. There are certainly very few, pure wishes that I could think of, but I can not reveal them to you. You must take your own path and discover your own power. By the way, I can help you uncover more of your latent power, but I can not give you any freebies. The powers that be would not appreciate it," Midoriko said with a smile and a tilt of her head.

"Of course they wouldn't," Kagome laced with sarcasm. "They never do." She rolled her eyes. "Then, how can I become stronger at least? I want to be able to protect myself more, instead of holding others back and always being the "protectee". "

"Protectee?" She thought of what it could mean and understood perfectly. "Although I have been locked away inside the jewel, I have been with you every step of the way, observing you grow with determination and fire, like a younger version of myself. We simply need to hone in on those skills to release your final seal."

"A seal? Is there a seal keeping my power restricted?"

"That is correct Kagome. This seal could only be broken once you surpassed your fiercest enemy in battle. And now that it has been accomplished, I can help show you how to remove it when you are ready."

Looking at the ancestor miko wide-eyed, she quickly gathered her thoughts and shrugged away any doubts. She's been waiting a long time for the independence to survive the feudal era, and now that the time had come, she would not sit idly by and do nothing. Of course, she loved her friends, sister and son, but what happens when they move on with their own lives? Where would she be? Who would she be with? There were too many unanswered questions that made Kagome feel uneasy. 'It's now or never,' she thought.

"I'm ready," Kagome said with a fierce look of fire and determination in her eyes.

"Good. First, we meditate. I'll be honest: the thought behind what we are about to do is easy and simple. Completing the task is what will take longer. We need to shatter your energy core. It restricts your reiki from moving freely, keeping at least 50% of it locked a way except in life and death situations. The goal is to be able to maintain almost all of your reiki outside of your body, so that you can reach the core. The reiki acts as its own barrier, keeping you away from the core, and therefore, not granting you full access to your power."

Kagome nodded in understanding and recapped what Midoriko said. "So basically, I need to be fluent in maintaining my reiki in order to maneuver within myself to destroy my energy core? Ok. How long do you think it will take me to master this?"

"Not too long with your previous training. Maybe no more than a few weeks, give or take?"

"A FEW WEEKS!" Kagome startled. "I guess there's nothing to it but to do it."

"Then, start by forming a ball of reiki in front of you, pulling as much reiki out of you as possible. It is ok to become winded slightly, but do not pull so much that you faint, like so."

Midoriko showed Kagome what she meant, and the younger miko followed suit. Because of the amount of reiki she was suspending, her breathing became jagged after an hour into the meditation. It only continued to worsen as sweat dripped from the top of her forehead, down to her chin.

"That is enough for now. We will rest, and continue shortly." Kagome nodded and laid back in the flowers. She didn't expect it to be easy, training to release her full power, but she also hadn't expected it to be so breath-taking. Literally. She had been run ragged being pulled along with Inuyasha, and never, had she experienced shortness of breath such as this.

The two sat in comfortable silence as Midoriko observed Kagome catch her breath. ' _She will be ready when she can withstand her reiki threshold for at least 2 hours._ _That will be the safest amount of time to ensure she doesn't accidentally strengthen the barrier like I did, instead of destroying it_.' Midoriko smirked to herself thinking of the memory.

10 minutes had passed since the break started, and thus began a new meditation session. This continued about two more times until Midoriko told her it was time. Kagome noticed how quickly she recovered after each session and realized she was lasting longer each time. She didn't think anything of it, because if it was important, the elder miko would have informed her.

"You are able to control your reiki a lot faster than I could. I am impressed. We can now move to remove your seal. Bring as much reiki out from your person." Kagome did as told. Pulling her reiki out into her center was second nature now. She could even do it in her sleep now and with nothing but her thoughts. She impressed and shocked herself at how fast she was able to maintain her reiki that way, considering Midoriko's warning about it not being easy.

"Now that the bulk of your power is out, try to look deep into your soul, where you draw your power from. What do you see?"

Kagome closed her eyes at this request, and began to poke and prod around her soul, kind of like playing hide and seek with herself, except her soul couldn't count to 10 and start chasing her. Then she found it. It appeared to be a gate like structure to a shrine, like those seen when climbing stairs to a temple to welcome the New Year, containing sutras to prevent trespassing. Kagome revealed what she saw to Midoriko, who confirmed that she was in the right place, and motioned for Kagome to proceed thru the gate. As she entered the gate, it really was like she climbed the temple stairs to an alternate time space, and before her now, was nothing but a dark wooded, square table, housing a box about 10 inches in each direction. She approached the box slowly, admiring the marble on the exterior with embedded jewels colored Amethyst, Jade, and Sapphire. She was speechless.

Midoriko understood what she was seeing through their ancestral link, and told Kagome to open the box using her reiki. Using her hand only would cause the Sutra's embedded in the jeweled box to strengthen, making the process longer than necessary. So, Kagome proceeded to draw reiki to her hand, let it flow to the boxes lid and uncover the top.

Out of the box, shot a bright light towards Kagome with sparks, tinted blue with pink swirls like a firecracker volcano. Her skin begin to glow with the same colors and heat up slightly causing her to pant for air briefly. She dropped to her knees on the concrete illusion to catch her breath and recover from the shock. Her body felt tingly, and inside of her, she felt power. Raw power that seemed as if she could rival any Diayokai, and even the Gods themselves. It scared her how much power she actually held until Midoriko touched her shoulder to calm her nerves. She assured her that her power is only deadly when she wishes it to be, and would not harm those deemed as friendly.

"I can't believe how surreal this is. I've never dreamed of being so powerful," Kagome said in disbelief.

"Believe me, young one, this is all your power. You've long sense surpassed me and all other miko's before you. Meditating prior to releasing your power, further enhanced your raw ability for the last 2 to 3 weeks you have trained with me as well," Midoriko praised.

"What do you mean last 2 to 3 weeks? I've only been at this flower field with you a few hours at most!?" Kagome questioned.

"Oh my, did I forget to mention? This is a separate dimension, not tied to the feudal world you currently reside in. For every hour that passes out there, one week passes in here. It is also why you were able to complete training so quickly."

Blinking with wide-eyes, Kagome decided to stop being shocked by anything anymore and just accept it all at face value. "So that's why I recovered so quickly when I was exhausted. Essentially, 10 minutes of recovery time was close to a day and a half here, is that right?

"You are correct, give or take a few minutes."

"Well, I won't complain. What do we do now?"

"Now we wait on your physical body to finish healing so that you can return back to the feudal era. My time here with you is coming to an end. But should you find yourself in need of guidance, simply meditate and think of me and this place, and to your aid, I shall come. It would seem HE is tending to your body in order to heal you. I hope you will find happiness, Kagome." Those were the last words of wisdom before Midoriko faded from sight with a smile on her face and one hand cupping the other in a slight bow, as she bid farewell to Kagome for now.

"Wait! Don't say things like that and disappear! Who is HE? Who is tending to my body?" Worry began to sink into Kagome's mind as she wondered what the elder miko meant. She took a few deep breaths to calm down, and realized she could sense everything clearly. Her aura reached out for who and what could be around her and she noticed the familiar youki signature. She did not feel threatened in his presence, so she allowed her aura to sooth him, assuming that he was the one healing her body, since there was no other presence in the vicinity. She could feel his touch on her skin, which felt so good and painful at the same time. ' _Wait? What did I just think?_ ' Pushing the thought away, she assumed he must be cleaning her wounds since just now, she remembered Kikyo's arrow in her shoulder, and the cuts and scrapes from the cyclops demon she battled earlier.


	8. Chapter 8

**Previously….**

Kagome released the seal on her powers and learned to easily draw forth her reiki with the help of Midoriko in a spiritual dimension.

 **Now….**

Sesshomaru pulled Kagome from the water and dressed her with the midnight blue kimono he received from the shop keeper back at the village. He could feel her aura rising again, as if it was scanning the area to locate others nearby. It wasn't threatening, in fact, it was very soothing. It caressed his own as if asking him to caress it with his youki. He followed thru with his curiosity and noticed the sparks that entangled between the two auras were they met and merged. The sensation did things to his body that he couldn't fathom and had never felt before, so he pulled back to contemplate what had just occurred. The feeling it gave him could be best described as a longing, lusty sensation. The kind that brings about sexual frustration, like how a female feels 'when she passes that one guy that can do things to her body by just locking eyes with her.' This was that effect. And Sesshomaru was definitely doing things with his eyes: he was staring at her like chocolate, thinking of all the different ways to eat and enjoy the snack before him, taking pleasure in licking his fingertips of any remaining juices that lingered and savoring in her flesh. The things he could do to her… 'The things I will do to her.' He changed his thoughts.

He had accepted that he had feelings for the miko sometime ago. He had not contemplated whether or not he would act on them per say, but the little time he had begun to see her and spy more often had long since changed that thought process. And now, sitting here with her while she lay on his mokomoko to keep warm on the patch of grass by the spring, he began to ponder how to plan and make his move. 'Plan? When have I ever needed to plan? Females would practically fall to my feet, begging me to take them. Why should I behave differently towards a ningen?' The thought made him snort. He considered his options as we watched her stir somewhat. Soon she would be awake.

Recalling her personality, he realized why he needed to plan. She was not like other ningen woman of this era. She was head strong, but kind; Loyal and forgiving; she was not afraid to speak her mind and if she said no, that's what she meant. She would not be controlled or told what she could and could not do. Honestly speaking to himself, this would take patience, which was not one of his best strengths. He would have to show her his feelings and how he cares for her; also a trying task in itself. This was going to be a challenge, but he was ready for it. He wanted to explore what the feelings he harbored towards Kagome meant and how far they could go. He has been wandering and patrolling his lands for a couple centuries now, and before Rin, it had become boring, maybe even a bit lonely, but he would never admit it.

While thinking and scheming in his mind like the tactician he is, he heard a noise back towards the mouth of the cave. He did place a barrier around it so nothing should be able to get through, so he sniffed and listened to deduce what made the whimpering noise. Upon inspection, he realized it was the kit that came with him in fear of being away from his mother. How the hell did he forget he brought the kit with him in the first place? He even had to walk back through the cave after returning from procuring the kimono and pass him and still, he paid no mind to the kit as his attention was solely focused on the miko. A slight tick could be heard from Sesshomaru's mouth as his eyebrows furrowed to show his irritation. He was frustrated that he focused on the miko to the point of forgetting his surroundings. That just won't do considering the enemies he could have and the fact that as alpha, he has to ensure her protection.

 **Back with the others…..**

After Sesshomaru had left with Kagome, Sango turned to Miroku with a worried expression on her face. She knew that Sesshomaru had not tried to kill Inuyasha over the last year or so and he has even assisted them on some rare occasions, but Kagome was like a sister to her and she wanted to ensure her safety. Miroku looked at her with a soft smile, acknowledging her unspoken feelings on the matter, and simply wrapped his arm around her head and brought her close in a semi-hug. He looked over her shoulder at Inuyasha who had begun to mourn Kikyo, whose body had started to become ash and was slipping thru his fingers as he held her. He wanted to comfort his friend, but it was already a struggle to remain standing. None of the group members have rested since the battle ended and exhaustion was taking a toll on them. Sango's face was covered with her slayer mask, but what could be seen was covered with dirt and blood, and her eyes were half open as if she was fighting off sleep. Miroku's face was the same, with more cuts and scrapes along his arm since he had to mostly use his staff during his fight with the Cyclops demon. His robes were torn and shredded, and even he being as light spirited as he is, dreaded thinking of how he would have to "exorcise" a demon for compensation in some nearby village later. Yes, there were some times that a village really did need assistance with a rogue demon pillaging a village or harming their people, but there were others where Miroku haggled more from those people than what was needed for their group, lying in some cases.

But still, he wore a sad expression when he looked at Inuyasha, and casually limped over to his friend to say a prayer for the finally dead again priestess. Hopefully, she'll rest in peace this time and stay dead. Inuyasha acknowledged Miroku with sad eyes as he said a prayer for Kikyo, then returned his gaze to her ashes.

"Sango and I will head back towards the village, just far enough away from this battle field and make camp to rest. When you feel ready, please join us, Inuyasha," Miroku said.

Inuyasha looked at him and down again.

Miroku realized that would be the only acknowledgement he would get and looked to Sango and starting trekking towards a good spot to camp and rest far enough away from where the battle had occurred. After walking for several minutes, Sango looked to Miroku and questioned "Do you think he will be okay, and what about Kagome?"

"Honestly, my dear, I don't think we could have pulled him from her if we wanted to. And, I don't have the energy to try to convince him that she is finally able to rest in peace. Plus, he wasn't able to mourn when she first died."

"And Kagome?"

"As far as Kagome is concerned, I believe Sesshomaru is the safest place for her. If you recall, Inuyasha was upset that Sesshomaru was even touching Kagome, and even claimed her and said she essentially owes him the jewel so he can make his wish. We both know that the only thing Inuyasha ever wanted was to be a full demon, so he may make that wish. But now that Kikyo is gone, he may even want to wish her back to life, and if that happened, who knows what that could do to Kagome since she is her reincarnation."

Sango nodded in understanding, although her face still showed apprehension.

"Plus, I think Lord Sesshomaru glanced at Inuyasha on purpose when he questioned Inuyasha so that I would notice. Neither of Inuyasha's wishes would be pure, which means we could end up dealing with another Naraku if something went wrong. I don't know about you, but I can't take on another half demon hell bent on destroying everything and ruining people's lives right now."

"Neither can I." Sango had a flashback of her entire village, wiped out at the hands of Naraku. "I wonder what happened to Kohaku," Sango said with loneliness in her eyes.

Miroku had no answer for her, so he gently touched her shoulder. "Perhaps we will discover something about him as we make our way back to Edo. For now, let's make camp here. There was a stream we passed nearby when we came. You can wash first and I'll keep watch."

"I would appreciate it."

Miroku was surprised. No banter? No side comment? This was a first! Usually, she would say something suggesting he may peek or behave inappropriately, and, because he couldn't keep his hands to himself, a smack to the face would follow. Now he was worried even more for her.

"Sango, is everything alright?"

"Aside from exhaustion and a desperate need for sleep, I'm managing. Why?"

"Because, you didn't say anything about me peeping when I offered to keep watch."

She blushed at the thought and realized he was right. Usually, she definitely would have said something, so why didn't she now? One of the major reasons was because she was too fatigued to function normally at this point, let alone think straight. The other reason was because she had already agreed to marry him. So allowing him to keep watch knowing that there was a slight possibility he would peak, may help with her nervousness of being closer to him when they are alone. 'Being closer to him when we are alone….. We are alone!' She blushed at her thoughts. She could not tell him one of the reasons, so she chose the simplest answer.

"I am too tired to even think about you peeking, and even a pervert like you should be too exhausted right now to care as well."

It wasn't a lie. There was just more to it than she needed to reveal. As they approached the stream, she prepared to disrobe. She looked Miroku in the eyes, and he of course, understood her thoughts. "Turn around and do not look." He smiled, and turned around and sat on the ground, staff in hand while Sango undressed and rinsed in the stream. Sango had been correct about one thing. As much as he would love to steal a peek and gaze upon her beautiful body, even he was too tired to make the effort. Tonight, he would behave.


	9. Chapter 9

**Previously….**

Inuyasha mourned Kikyo as Miroku said a prayer for her. Sango and Miroku began their journey back towards Edo, but stopped in order to bathe in a stream and rest before the main journey.

 **Now….**

Miroku and Sango bathed, gathered fish from the stream and setup camp around the fire. It was in the clearing filled with grass and trees, some flowers here and there, and insects chattering. Each pair of eyes was zoned in on the fire, but not really seeing it either. They were both deep in thought: Miroku was thinking how he never thought he would be rid of his 'kazana', nor would he live long enough to have children of his own. Sango was thinking about Kohaku and whether or not he passed on, or if somehow, he was still walking amongst the living since he never really died. He was simply being controlled by Naraku with the Shikon jewel shard. All this thinking was not doing either of them any good, as they looked to one another searching each others eyes for answers. The only answers they both received were looks of tiredness and fatigue, and a sense of finality that suggested that all of their issues were finally over.

Miroku reached out for Sango's face, and she allowed her face to mold into his hand. He brought it closer to his while staring into her big browns eyes. As Sango moved forward, closing the distance between the two, her cheeks became more flushed, and the blush slowly eased down her neck. Miroku smiled at her innocent appearance, knowing full well that Sango had never been with another before. As perverted as he is, he knew that now was not the time or place. 'But, a guy can hope, right? Yes. But, would it be everything he ever wanted? Yes. But, would it be special to Sango? Probably not.' Although, considering the circumstances, victory is most assuredly theirs on this day. Thinking logically, however, there are too many possibilities and vulnerabilities on this night. Therefore, Miroku settled for a gentle kiss upon her forehead, pulled back, and stared into Sango's eyes again. Sango looked expectantly, too embarrassed to do anything else. Miroku noticed the wanting in her eyes, but he had already made the decision not to press the issue due to timing and other unknown factors. That didn't stop him from thinking of all the things he wanted to do to satisfy her though. He could feel his control slipping as he leaned in towards her mouth and placed a soft peck on her lips. Afterwards, they were only separated by mere millimeters before he closed in again, this time full of passion and heat. Sango, being the virgin she is, couldn't take the heat pooling in the center of her core and in between her thighs, and slowly melted into Miroku's touch until she could catch up with his mouth. He felt her gasp a second and slipped his tongue in, massaging hers with his own. Sango, not sure what to do, let her body take over and began suckling and biting on Miroku's tongue, something that surprised him and triggered his lust even further. He gripped the back of her head, just above her neck, ensuring there was no distance whatsoever between them and continued to kiss, rather ravish, her mouth. Suddenly, he abruptly pulled away, eyebrows furrowed in frustration at himself and at the inner turmoil happening in his body. He wanted her. Bad. Right here. Right now. He wanted to plunge his thickness inside her and fill her with his seed. God, he loved this woman! But he would wait. He bit his bottom lip and drew blood to regain control of senses. Sango looked worried and he wanted to assure her, so he embraced her closely with a light peck to her jaw line.

"If you kept going Sango, I would not have been able to stop myself." Sango blushed harder and nodded, wondering what came over her as well. If he wanted to continue, she wouldn't have been able to stop it either, and even she knew, now may not be the best time for this.

"Perhaps, we should rest, Sango." Miroku forced from his mouth. He clearly wanted to do more than rest, but would not go against his decision.

"Right. That would probably be best" answered Sango. They began to unravel the "sleeping bag" as Kagome called it, and laid them down beside one another.

Tonight would be their first night alone, so they would lay together, as suggested by Miroku. Big surprise there… But truthfully, it was to serve as protection for them both. Although they would sleep with one eye open metaphorically speaking, chances are that their defenses would be down due to fatigue. Inuyasha wasn't too far away, but he wasn't in the right mind to assist them at the moment. And, if a demon or predator did show up, at least they would be close enough for one of them to alert the other. In just a few short seconds, sleep took them almost immediately and if a demon showed up now, they would be dead to the world.

 **Meanwhile with Inuyasha….**

Inuyasha sat at the base of the tree with Kikyo – well, the ashes of Kikyo – as tears silently flowed down his cheeks, eyes shut tight. He could not stop the images of her soul collectors dispersing after her body hit the ground from Sesshomaru's attack. The brilliant light blue light of the souls had shot from her body into the sky, as if they've been trapped from the warmth of the world and were dying to get out. They went in many directions, which he wouldn't have noticed anyway, but one seemed to linger a little longer than the others. It floated gently above his head, as if it was watching over him in some way for his comfort, telling him it was okay; telling him to let go.

A strangled cry could be heard piercing through the air as Inuyasha released his silent sobs filled with frustration and sadness. Yet again, he had failed to protect her. Yet again, she was gone from this world. And yet again, she had left him alone. "Why am I not better?! Why am I so weak? My precious Kikyo… I am so sorry…."

His eyes lifted to the sky and to his surprise, the soul still lingered. He made a pathetic attempt to reach for it and the soul drifted down towards his hands. He cradled it as if it was the most precious being in the world. He stared at it for a moment, and was startled by what happened next.

"Inuyasha? Inuyasha?" the soul cried out.

"Kikyo?" Inuyasha said looking around with confusion on his face.

"Yes, Inuyasha, it is I. You must not stay here on the ground, crying for me like this. You must carry on."

New rivers started flowing from his eyes at the thought of carrying on without her. How could he? He didn't deserve to live. Shame on both of them for not being able to see through Naraku's deception the first time Kikyo passed 50 something years ago. Naraku had pretended to be Kikyo in order to separate Inuyasha and her from each other, since she was going to use the sacred jewel to make Inuyasha human. That wouldn't do since he wanted the jewel for himself, and the human inside of him, Onigumo, wanted Kikyo for his self. He would not allow her to be with another, which is why he sold his soul to hundreds of demons at once and became the Naraku we all know. Inuyasha was more gullible during that time and he believed it right away and went to the village causing all sorts of hell, just to retrieve the sacred jewel. The end result was him pinned to a tree for 50 years. There was just too much hate in Kikyo to let it go even though she found out it was all a lie and conspired by Naraku.

"It's too much for me to bare, living without you again" Inuyasha stated with a vulnerable voice and averted eyes.

"You can and will do it, Inuyasha. You have already done it once and for 50 years. This is no different."

"But I'll never see you again. If I was a full demon, this wouldn't have happened!"

"That's enough, Inuyasha. Even if you were a full demon, this still may have happened. My purpose in this world has been served and Naraku is dead. We have our revenge. Live on knowing that the cause of our pain has ceased to be. Maybe now that I am out of the way, my reincarnation can finally take advantage of you…"

"Keh. I'll never love any one as much as I love you, Kikyo. And stop trying to get rid of me!"

"There's that spunk I loved about you." Inuyasha blushed and looked over his shoulder. "Live on, Inuyasha, and know that I forgive you for everything, and hopefully you can forgive me as well."

"Kikyo… I love you." The soul began to drift upward toward the sky with an even brighter hue, looking as if to be fully at peace. Inuyasha stood with some ashes in hand and poured them in a pouch he kept in his red robe. Once he returned to Edo, he would bury them there to hopefully watch over the village. With renewed focus and attention, he wiped his eyes and sniffed around for his companions. Of course he knew Kagome was with his bastard brother, the one who caused Kikyo' s suffering in the end, and he knew Sango and Miroku were together, most likely heading back to the village. He decided to start back towards Edo to bury Kikyo's ashes first, and he would more than likely run into Miroku and Sango. He knew Sesshomaru wouldn't hurt Kagome since he could have done it prior to leaving, but he didn't know why he took her. With no other purpose than to take back his Kagome, he would leave to find her after burying Kikyo's ashes. I suppose old habits die hard because even in death, Kikyo still came before Kagome.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you guest for your comment. I can assure you that I am not a Kikyo lover lol. And about Bakusaiga… I forgot Sesshomaru didn't have his other arm then, so it will get attached one way or another soon… Can't just throw it in now, can i? lol. And by the way, this story is just something that pops into my head daily and I make up as I go. I do not have a plot outline, but if you guys like it, then I'm doing something right.

Also I realized that I needed to spread this story out, so I took the liberty to update this chapter with something simple... it says " several days later" lol. Please keep in mind I am simply writing what pops in my head and making it attempt to flow together. But I still try to incorporate the feedback :)

 **Previously….**

Miroku and Sango experienced their first intimate moment, not counting all of Miroku's previous gropes. Inuyasha mourned Kikyo's soul which seemed to be at peace now.

 **Now with Sesshomaru….**

 **Several days later...**

Kagome began to stir. Sesshomaru could hear her heart beat quickening here and there, which alerted him to her movements. Though subtle, her fingers twitched and her eyes appeared to dart left to right behind her eyelids. Slowly, her eyes opened and she lay there a few more moments, looking at the hint of blues and purples upon the ceiling from the crystal formations around the cave. It was a very pretty sight, honestly, like her own purple fireworks show.

Kagome sat up and noticed the spring to her right. It took a few more moments for her to register that she had no idea where she was. Slight panic sat in and she abruptly stood, checking her surroundings. She stood up too fast, as blood began rushing to her head making her dizzy, causing her to stumble backwards where she would have fallen and collapsed, if not for smooth silky hands capturing her around the waste to prevent the fall. Panting slightly at the feeling of the blood rush, she looked up to find none other than a pair of honey golden eyes staring down at her. Her blue eyes stared longingly into those golden ones as if she was losing herself, before he called her name.

"Miko."

OOOO that voice was so erotic! It wasn't even the correct name, but Kagome could not look away. All she could do was stare more with furrowed eyebrows and wonder what it is she was feeling. Sesshomaru noticed she was still staring and wondered if perhaps, something was on his face. With his impeccable senses, he knew that wasn't the case because he would smell it or feel it. So why was she staring? Speaking of smell, a small hint of strawberry mixed with citrus grazed his nostrils and he understood immediately. A small smirk graced his lips as he thought 'she is thinking of this one.' Kagome did not fail to notice the smile and was in awe of how beautiful he was when he wasn't being a voracious, notorious killing machine…

Before she could stop herself, she reached up for his face, and landed her hand on his cheek as if it was the most natural thing to do. To her surprise, he let her and laid his hand upon hers and pressed his cheek further into her hands. Still too absorbed in the moment to look away, Kagome stood up on her own finally, to bring her other hand to his face, but Sesshomaru still had his one arm wrapped around her waist. He looked at her with the most piercing stare you've ever seen. It's similar to that same stare a parent would give you when you've done something wrong and they know it, but they are just waiting for you to admit that you are guilty…. At least, that's what it felt like.

Sesshomaru, not being one to back down, was surprised by how comfortable she appeared to be with his person. Not once had he directly given her permission to touch him, nor any indication that she could. But here she was, being fearless yet again, and not backing away. The citrusy scent seemed to shift a bit, perhaps more toward curiosity now.

When Kagome realized what she was finally doing, she halted all movements. Nervousness set in as she was now wide awake, aware of her surroundings, and very aware of her hands on Sesshomaru. She didn't know what to do or what not to do at this point. Would he hurt her? Sure he had helped the group kill Naraku and they couldn't have done it without him. And sure, it's been a long time since he really tried to kill Inuyasha. And sure, he keeps Rin with him, so he can't possibly still hate all humans, right? And most certainly, her hands would've already been removed from her person if he completely hated it. Yes. This is a definite, yes. Then, perhaps, she should simply and cautiously withdraw. The seal on her powers has been released so she can erect a barrier if necessary without harming him thanks to Midoriko's training in that alternate dimension….

Kagome was thinking a mile a minute. She didn't know if she should move, but her hands on his skin felt so good and her emotions were conflicting. One feeling wanted to continue to touch him, his hair, and dare she think it, his lips. The other feeling was screaming at her "what the hell do you think you're doing? Do you have a death wish?" But with her new found power, Kagome wanted to be daring, but she was still far too innocent for her to initiate option 3, so she kept her feelings in check with a simple touch and rub to his shoulders and neck area next.

Without Sesshomaru's consent, a low growl escaped from his lips, which caused Kagome to look up into his eyes again and slowly pull away. 'I just had to ruin it,' Kagome thought. Unbeknownst to her, it was actually more like a purr than a growl. Sesshomaru actually enjoyed it and hated that she stopped. As far as he knew, he wanted to explore his feelings for the Miko, and if she wanted to touch him already, then this would speed up the process. But now was not the time to dwell on that feeling too long, since nothing could be done about it in this place with the fox kit not far away, so he would push it to the back of his mind.

"Miko, how do you feel?" Sesshomaru asked.

Kagome stepped backwards another step and looked herself over. Aside from fatigue and some exhaustion, she was doing rather well. Her power was brimming beneath her skin, waiting for her to call upon it.

"Surprisingly, I am fine. Just a little bit exhausted, but nothing serious."

"Hn. You have been asleep for several moons. Prepare to leave shortly. I must retrieve Rin." Sesshomaru stated.

"Several days?!" Kagome was surprised. She definitely recall Midoriko saying not much time had passed in the outside world. Maybe she had it backwards? Maybe Midoriko had it backwards? Well, I can't change it now. "Sesshomaru, If you don't mind, where is everyone else, and why am I with you?" Kagome pondered with a face of confusion.

"After the death of Naraku, the half-breed was busy mourning the dead one….. Who is dead again by my hands (he mentioned with a sinister smile admiring his kill)… He mentioned making a wish on the jewel, and I have no need of another Naraku."

"Oh. So he stayed beside Kikyo again…" she said with no emotion on her face. She was beyond over it and was no longer bothered by it. Her only concern before now was worrying about Kikyo trying to steal her soul and how she would have to explain killing her to Inuyasha….. but, that's been taken care of now.

"Why are you so loyal to someone who will not return the loyalty?" Sesshomaru asked curiously.

"Because he is my friend. I would not have survived these lands without him. Don't get me wrong, I don't think of him in any type of romantic way whatsoever anymore. We are simply friends. I decided a year or so ago that I would start living for me only and do the things that I want and love who I want from here on out." Sesshomaru saw the sparkle of determination and courage in her eyes and felt a tingle in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was not unpleasant. But then, his eyes narrowed at the thought of her loving whoever she wanted. Who did she want to love? How could he ask this without sounding obvious or desperate? Who cares! He was Sesshomaru, Lord of the West. He would slaughter any who thought themselves a rival. With his decision made, he thought of how to ask the priestess.

"Miko, is there someone you love?" Sesshomaru asked straightforwardly.

"L- (Cough) Love?! You are certainly talking more than normal Sesshomaru." Kagome stared at him curiously, wondering what prompted this question. Nonetheless she would answer him.

"My name is Kagome, not Miko, and I would appreciate it if you called me by that instead. To answer your question, There is no one that I love per say. However, there is someone I am interested in, but I don't think he would ever give me the time of day," Kagome said with a hint of sadness.

"Whatever fool can not see your worth does not deserve you."

"That may be true, but I wouldn't call him a fool. He is really amazing. He is very handsome, sincere, and genuine. He doesn't talk unnecessarily, but when he does, it's worth listening to. He is very intelligent and probably the strongest demon alive. A lot of humans and demons think he is cold and emotionless, but I can tell what's on the inside. He is stoic, regal. He walks with swagger that would rival models of my time. Even the air that surrounds him gets a power boost from touching his skin, in my opinion. He just hates all humans…"

"Yet, you are not in love with him. If he is everything you say, that sounds like a love confession, as you humans call it, is it not? And what is 'swagger'?"

Kagome blushed as she realized the reality of her words. She already loved him. And yes, that essentially was a confession. Sometimes, Sesshomaru was too smart for his own good. Keeping him in the dark may be difficult. But why even go through the pain of it all not knowing, when she could just ask. Be courageous and ask. She was a changed woman, right? She was going to live for herself, right? Then maybe she should start now. Maybe…

"Swagger is probably best described as the aura around someone and the appeal and vibes the person gives you. Aside from that, you think I should tell him I am interested in a romantic way?"

Sesshomaru pondered her question for a moment. Of course, he was not one to give love advice. He didn't really know what it was himself. He turned around briefly to flex his claws, imagining ripping through the demons neck who dared to think himself a rival for Kagome's affection. He wouldn't stand for it. But, if she traveled with him, he could uncover who it was and slit his throat fair and square. A sinister smirk graced his lips at the thought of it all.

"If you feel that strongly, then yes." Sesshomaru stated. His mouth turned sour at the thought of her confessing to another. His beast raged within himself yelling " **kill** ; **kill**. **She is mine. Our mate!"** Sesshomaru reassured the beast that when he discovered who it was, he would slaughter the demon and eat its heart. What better way to savor a satisfying kill than to devour the very thing keeping it alive?

"Then, Sesshomaru?!" Kagome called out hoping he would turn around and give her his attention. He did as he looked into her blue eyes, curiosity etched onto his face. Her hands were slightly fidgety against her clothes, and she distracted herself by softly nibbling on her bottom lip. He looked upon her, which was the only acknowledgment that he was paying attention.

"Sesshomaru, If you would consider it… I am" – "Kagome, your awake! I was so worried!" Shippo interrupted as he whimpered softly and stretched his little arms as much as he could to hold on to Kagome.

"Shippo, I'm so glad to see that you're safe. How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?" Kagome asked, frantically looking him over everywhere.

"No, I'm fine. You kept me safe in the barrier. I came with Sesshomaru since he left with you and I didn't want to be around Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru watched the scene unfold. **"She will be a good mother. Look how she cares for the pup."** He agreed with the beast's logic. Her loyalty was undying. Before now, Sesshomaru had not realized how much he wanted it for himself, and he would do anything to get it. 'What was she going to ask me...? If I would consider it?' Sesshomaru pondered. He would wrack his brain trying to figure out the question she would ask him. As he began to think, what demon could possibly be stronger than he? 'None' in his eyes. Perhaps she had come across another cardinal Lord? If so, Inuyasha may have already died with his lack of tact and manners. Yes, he thought she could have described him, but he would not be so conceited. Because if she wasn't speaking of him, the blow to his pride would be severe and even he might have to kill everything to relieve himself of the humiliation. He continued to look at the Miko expectantly, and once she noticed, she blushed since she could not ask in front of Shippo.

"In regards to what I was going to ask you, I will ask at another time if that's ok."

Of course it wasn't ok! With everything that was mentioned, his curiosity spiked and he was desperate to know the question now, though his facial features would never show his desperation.

"Hn," Was his typical response to her statement. "This belongs to you." He gave her the completed Shikon jewel and she stared at the pink marble with relief, knowing the battle with Naraku was finally over. Her stomach growled, and brought her attention from the jewel and up to Sesshomaru's face, who pointed to another side of the cave where he stored food for her and the kit to eat. A bright smile lit up Kagome's face as she began to eat away at the berries and dried meats, and turned to thank Sesshomaru for his consideration. He nodded in reply.

"When you have finished, we will take what remains, and depart for Rin."

"Thank you again, Sesshomaru."


	11. Chapter 11

**Previously….** Kagome had awoken and she and Sesshomaru shared a moment, if you call it that…

 **Now with Sesshomaru….**

The group departed the cave and took some extra fruits and dried meat with them. Kagome figured Rin would be hungry once they reached the carefree child, and that would alleviate Sesshomaru's need to hunt. They kept a casual pace as they walked thru the forest. There was no need to panic anymore, or be weary of being watched at random times of the night with Naraku dead. Sure, there were other demons that would lurk here and there, waiting to strike, but only a fool would try to launch an attack on Sesshomaru's party. As Kagome looked to the sky, she realized it felt like the darkest night since her time in the feudal era. The stars were shinning brilliantly, more so than ever before, further hinting at the peaceful days ahead.

The twinkle from the stars caused Kagome to look up at Sesshomaru and remember his eyes upon hers. He was beautiful to her. If he hadn't pointed out that she was obviously in love with him, she may have still been able to travel and talk to him as she normally would. Her face flushed again as she pondered what to do about her new found feelings. She would not wait forever like she did with Inuyasha. She would not be second to no one. He would not tell her what she could and could not do and he would respect her. She would not settle. If Sesshomaru is able to love her - and that's a tall order – what would it be like? She couldn't imagine him smiling bright and shinning teeth at her, nor could she imagine him being as affectionate and possessive as Koga. Curiosity was getting the best of her, and with every step, she continued to stare at Sesshomaru's back.

Shippo observed his makeshift mother staring and pondering. At this point, he wasn't concerned because Sesshomaru had actually provided for them and protected them like a true Alpha. He wasn't abusive and did not say hurtful, mean things to him. He was everything that Inuyasha wasn't. But why was Kagome being more spacey than usual? He figured he would have to keep an eye on her just in case she was sick or had a fever.

Sesshomaru had also felt her eyes upon his person. He wondered what caused her to stare so long. It was going on 60 minutes, and even he was feeling on edge, not because he was worried she would harm him. Definitely not. But because after their strange conversation, he still didn't know the question she wanted to ask. Upon further thinking, the description she gave of her mystery demon almost described him. He didn't want to be too hopeful or optimistic, but perhaps he would test his theory at a later time, when the two were alone. It was the best solution the tactician could think of. Straight-forward and to the point. He has never sugarcoated anything, nor would he start. Otherwise, he would have to be away from his castle even longer, looking for a mystery demon to demolish with no hints, or clues to go on.

Finally, the group arrived to the camp where Jaken and Rin resided. They were both sleeping peacefully due to the time of night. As if having a sixth sense, Rin slowly awakened to the site of her Lord walking towards her. Her eyes popped wide open and she hopped up and ran towards Sesshomaru and grabbed his leg.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Rin is happy to see you!"

He gazed down at his young ward with a twinkle in his eyes. She could always tell his moods, and right now, his eyes said he was happy to see her as well. He was glad that Jaken managed to keep her safe with all the fighting going on, but now, he was being just as useless as always – sleeping on the job and oblivious to his surroundings. Sesshomaru approached the sleeping imp with his usual prowess. Finally, Jaken seemed to have noticed something approach him and opened his eyes.

"Sesshomaru sa- (boot to face) and Jaken went flying somewhere towards the west.

Rin simply laughed as she saw the twinkle in the sky disappear. She heard laughter from behind Sesshomaru as well and noticed Shippo and Kagome.

"Kagome-chan. Shippo! Did you come to see Rin?"

Rin was very excited to see them since she could often play with Shippo, and Kagome taught her so many human things, right from wrong, different games, and always showed her fascinating things like making flower crowns.

"I am happy to see you Rin, and I'm sure Shippo is too. Are you hungry? We brought some dried meats and fruits Lord Sesshomaru picked up for us", Kagome said while she smiled at the little girl.

"Yes, please."

"And when you're done, maybe you would like to play with me", Shippo suggested.

"Hai."

And so, Rin ate, or rather, she shoved food down her throat so fast so that she could hurry and play with Shippo. Kagome warned Rin that if she ran too much, she would get a tummy ache since she had just eaten. The little girl nodded and continued to play anyway. They ran around the camp a little more, playing hide and seek behind trees. Kagome had taught them this game, as well as, "tag" some time ago. While she watched them, Sesshomaru observed her, looking at genuine contentedness upon her face. For whatever reason, his eyes kept looking to her. Anytime she was in the vicinity, he had to gaze upon her, even if only for a brief moment.

Kagome could feel the eyes on her, causing her heartbeat to pick up. Why was he staring so hard? Did he want her attention for something? 'It's my own fault. This is probably payback for staring at him earlier' she thought. She couldn't turn around because now, she was sure her face was red just thinking of him. 'How did I let myself get into this situation again? Oh, right. I have an affinity for dogs and bad boys' she answered herself with a scoff as she rolled her eyes. With nothing to go on, she decided to feel him with her aura. Slowly, she released part of her reiki and began to surround him with it. It stroked him soothingly, to his surprise, and drew out his own aura to meet with hers. Tiny jolts of electricity could be felt between the two, but it was not visible to others, only because the amount of reiki and youki was so small.

Now this was a problem. Kagome felt like Sesshomaru was touching all over her body, in places, she didn't know she had places - even though she initiated the contact. She couldn't think straight and didn't know what to do. The blush that painted her face moments ago now spread well past the collar of the blue kimono Sesshomaru had gotten for her, and to the top of her ears. Her face was flushed, and she began to pant ever so softly. Her scent changed and smelled of strawberry citrus, a scent Sesshomaru associated with her arousal.

He could hear the soft panting noises she made and immediately thought of how loud he could make her scream for him. 'What would it sound like to hear her make those sounds beneath me?' **'She will** **scream for us'.** The thought of touching her and tasting her flesh aroused him and his beast, causing his eyes to widen marginally and nostrils to flare. He licked his lips like the predator he was, as if he was about to pounce a white tail venison, so tender and juicy.

Kagome continued to feel the butterflies in her stomach and the tingle between her thighs as her core began to moisten. (Kagome) Sesshomaru, with his outstanding sense of smell, stood up immediately, with red tinted eyes. Kagome turned and saw him look straight into her eyes, as if they were the window to her soul, and she was even more turned on by his piercing stare.

If Sesshomaru's youki could speak, it would probably say 'I'm going to eat you', at least that's what Kagome got out of it. And Kagome's aura to Sesshomaru said 'take me', in which it was taking every bit of power and control, not to move an inch closer to her. (Kagome) Trying to maintain some semblance of control, Sesshomaru slowly started to withdraw his youki since, thinking logically, this aura fiasco started when she reached out to him with hers. Kagome felt his aura leaving her body, and immediately felt lonely and unfulfilled. Her desire spiked and in her mind, no longer consciously thinking, she would take what she wanted. What she needed. She stood up, with no particular train of thought, except she just didn't want it to end.

"Kagome", Shippo called out again. He had called her a couple times now, but for some reason, unbeknownst to him, she didn't seem to hear him.

"Shippo?" Kagome questioned.

"What's wrong with you? I kept calling you, but you didn't hear me. Your face is red and you're not breathing like normal. Do you need that medicine for fevers? Are you ok?"

Kagome was beyond embarrassed. Shippo had been calling her name, worried about her the whole time, and yet, she was over here playing with Sesshomaru's youki, getting all hot and bothered. She even stood up at some point and didn't remember doing that either! What was she about to do? She turned to look at Sesshomaru again, but by this time, he had turned around.

"I shall return," Sesshomaru stated, indicating that she wait here with the children. He couldn't possibly stay around her right now, with his semi hardened thickness on full display. And, he wasn't sure if she really understood what it meant to follow through on her arousal. If Sesshomaru decided that he wanted a mate, it would be for life. This wouldn't be a quick rut like he had done to a few demonesses in the past. This would be a commitment. She would be his, and would belong to no other. Forever. So, he needed to step away. It was not yet time to cross that boundary yet. He needed to confirm with her his intentions, and say "to hell with uncovering whether or not she loves another." ' **Mine!'** the beast said in agreement with his thoughts.

With a sigh, Kagome replied "ok", and watched him walk away. As soon as she could no longer see him, she placed a barrier around the group's vicinity again, wondering what would have happened.

 **Back with Inuyasha**

Inuyasha had caught the scent of Sango and Miroku a couple hours ago, and was now closing in on the couple. His wound from Sesshomaru had healed enough for travel, but nothing more than that. He really didn't know the condition he would find them in since, after the death of Kikyo, he was in pain and a very dark place, and paid no mind to his surroundings when they departed. He did recall Miroku saying a prayer for her departed soul, but nothing else. He knew Sango and Miroku had real feelings for one another, no matter how they tried to hide it or fake as though they didn't. But he, of all people, couldn't necessarily say "hey, why don't you two quit flirting all the time and just get married." Look at how long he kept Kagome at bay with his indecisiveness. When they were ready, they would make it happen; he just knew it. And with Naraku finally gone, they could finally be true to their feelings.

Finally, their scent was heavy in the air and he knew they were only moments away. When he found them, he noticed them sleeping together near the fire, closer than they ever have before. No, there was nothing inappropriate about it. In fact he was happy for them. Happy that they could share in one another's feelings. Even though he was only 5 feet away, they didn't budge.

"Figures. You guys must be 'super' exhausted to sleep so vulnerably…", Inuyasha stated. But still, they did not move. He could hear their breathing and see the rise and fall of their chest, so they were definitely alive and well.

"Keh," he scoffed, and hopped into the nearest tree to keep watch over his traveling companions. The branch he jumped on was thick and strong, easily supporting his weight. After Kikyo's passing, tonight was not a day that Inuyasha would sleep even if he wanted to. And so, all he could do was think. For some reason, he felt somewhat rejoiced that Kikyo had forgiven him. If anything, he felt like he should not have been forgiven. Her early death, all of her pain and suffering, it was all his fault. Because he doubted the feelings she showed him, he so easily fell prey to Naraku's trap 50 years ago. But now, for some reason, he felt elated. He felt new and refreshed, as if the weight of the past that clung so desperately to his soul, had finally been lifted.

His eyes caught the twinkle of the stars and his heart constricted. It felt as though it reminded him of Kagome whenever she was passionate about helping people. Her eyes always showed no fear when it came to others, but were radiant with determination once she set her heart on something. Why was he thinking about all these things now? Kikyo was only gone for a few hours at most, and he's already pushed her out of sight and out of mind. However, unlike the other times, there was no guilty feeling; no feeling of betrayal; no feeling of anything, actually. Why was he so relaxed now and calm? He could actually think for once, and that was no easy feat for a boisterous Hanyou who swung first and asked questions later.

Since thinking clearly became easier, he realized somewhat how he treated Kagome. He called her so many names, ranging from weak, to wench, and compared her so many times to Kikyo. Honestly, how would he feel if someone constantly berated him and compared him to Sesshomaru, now that he thought about it? Sure, Sesshomaru was strong, probably the strongest demon he had ever battled. But the cold hearted nature of the bastard always pissed Inuyasha off. The whole "holier than thou" attitude prevented Inuyasha from trying to form any type of relationship with the guy, plus the fact that Sesshomaru never cared for him anyway. It didn't matter though. After the night was over and his companions had awoken, he would escort the two most of the way to Edo, then go and retrieve Kagome from the 'cold-hearted bastard', he thought.


	12. Chapter 12

**Previously…**

Sesshomaru's group had met up with Rin and Jaken. Kagome decided to feel Sesshomaru with her aura, resulting in unexpected reactions from both parties. Inuyasha felt a sense of calmness for once.

 **Now…**

Sesshomaru was frustrated with sexual tension. He had to get away from Kagome as soon as possible. His bestial instincts were surfacing, telling him to take her, pin her to the ground, mount her and fill her with his seed. Her arousal smelled so delicious, so sweet, and so painfully exotic, that his mouth watered for a bite of her intoxicating flesh. His control was barely there, which had never happened to the stoic demon Lord before. So, he did the only thing he could – he left swiftly before he did something she would hate, because he definitely would not regret it, unless he could not have her again.

He needed something to occupy his mind, his time, and reduce his sexual frustration. ' **MATE** '. He kept hearing his beast voice its' opinion in the back of his mind. Telling the beast "in due time" was not doing much to quench its' thirst for the delectable beverage known as Kagome, so he needed to take extreme countermeasures to resolve his current situation. He needed to demolish something.

Killing it, whatever 'it' turned out to be, would be too easy; too simple and unsatisfying. He needed to torture, provoke, and cause despair to his intended target for the night. And what better way to kill a hard on than a quick visit to his detestable half-breed brother. Yes, this would be the best resolution since he could survive longer than most other demons Sesshomaru would come across, and he could take more punches and fly thru trees like no other.

With his decision made, his face took on a partial transformation, and his snout lengthened slightly to imitate that of his true form. He tilted his perfect face up into the wind, hair flowing gently in the breeze, and waited for the scent of the half-breed to cross his path. The direction of Edo was somewhat similar to the direction of Sesshomaru's Shiro, not quite perpendicular, but not parallel either, meaning they were only separated by 50-80 miles at most, assuming the slayer and monk were walking and that Inuyasha may still be with the dead one, or what was left of her. Finally, the scent hit his nostrils. He formed his youki cloud beneath his feet and immediately sped off to make trouble. He was flaring his youki all over the place, intentionally intimidating anyone in the vicinity, asking them to come at him with everything they have, or cower in fear.

Knowing Inuyasha, he took the bait as expected, though he was surprised that it seemed as though Sesshomaru sought him out. The feel from Sesshomaru's aura told Inuyasha that he was definitely in for a fight, and he would do all he could not to involve his sleeping companions, so he went off a few miles to meet him. It took Sesshomaru no time to reach him, and he was grateful that the fool had left the humans at their camp. It would do him no favors with Kagome if he accidentally slipped up and killed them. Inuyasha was the first to speak, with his hand on the hilt of Tetseiga.

"What the fuck do you want?" Inuyasha said with a scowl.

Sesshomaru said nothing, and flexed his claws in preparation for attack. Inuyasha noticed his movements, and immediately drew Tetseiga. He knew this wasn't good. Never had Sesshomaru sought him out looking for a fight, not to mention he had not fully recovered from his earlier wounds.

Sesshomaru stepped forward and launched towards Inuyasha with his hand reaching for Tokijin. Inuyasha noticed him coming and braced himself for attack. The demon lord went for the obvious attack first, bringing the sword above his head, and swinging straight for Inuyasha's throat. Inuyasha countered the blade, making the blades form an "X" while in a deadlock. Sesshomaru used his power and strength to overcome the hanyou's defenses, pushing him back, causing him to stumble, whereas Sesshomaru swung the sword again from right to left, then left to right, and finally a thrust to his face. Even with one hand, Sesshomaru's swordsmanship surpassed all.

Inuyasha barely countered that last swing, resulting in a cut across his cheek.

"You've finally shown your true colors you bastard," Inuyasha said slowly in a tone laced with malice. "And where the hell is Kagome?!"

With that question, he reared Tetseiga back overhead and charged at Sesshomaru. Instead of fighting a close quarter's match with swords, Sesshomaru opted to send his youki, coupled with Tokijin's power toward the half-breed. Inuyasha stopped instantly and yelled "wind scar" as he released his swords' power upon the blast. It caused a whirlwind to surround the entire area of the battle, trees splintering here and there and leaves blowing everywhere. It slowed Sesshomaru's attack briefly, but not enough, as he still went sailing into a nearby tree that cracked on impact, about 20 meters from where he was originally standing. Sesshomaru smirked at the sight of it. Inuyasha though, not one to back down until he could take no more, stood up again with blood running down the side of his face, Tetseiga laying on the ground.

For some reason, Inuyasha kept thinking of Kagome. He expected Sesshomaru to protect her since he had during the battle of Naraku. But she was nowhere to be found now. He would not relinquish the promise to protect her, even though she was not here with him. His blood began to boil slowly with demonic youki as he continued to ponder the Kagome's whereabouts and wellbeing.

"What did you do to Kagome?"

The demon lord did not feel inclined to answer, but after reconsideration, he knew he could say things that would provoke the half-breed even further, so why not indulge a little bit?

"I have done nothing to the Miko… yet."

"What do ya mean? Speak clearly!" Inuyasha yelled with fangs bared.

"Your manners never cease to amaze me… Since you can't understand the worth of those around you, I have decided to make her mine. She will stay by this Sesshomaru's side, and will become This One's Lady of the West."

"Oh no she won't. Kagome is MINE!" And with that, Inuyasha's control slipped and his fangs lengthened. Hearing the claim on Kagome from someone who actually held the power to take her away from him, stirred something within him like never before. Koga claimed her many times, but it's never affected him. He never felt the wolf was strong enough to actually make her his. Koga was more like a pest with a crush to him, nothing more. But this was different. This felt as though anger was pooling on top of hate, which pooled on top of his desire to kill and maim. His claws lengthened and his eyes started to turn red, and jagged marks appeared upon his cheeks. The air surrounding Inuyasha caused his hair and robe to gently sway, generated by the power surfacing beneath his skin. The power of his demon blood was flaring, much to Sesshomaru's excitement. He wasn't excited because he thought Inuyasha would be a challenge. Definitely not. He was excited to show him that even at the height of his power, he would still be no match for him, and he would reveal that to him in a mere instant, plummeting all his hopes into despair, quickly and swiftly.

During the fiasco, Sesshomaru noticed the monk and slayer had awoken with worried looks upon their faces. Sango could be seen gripping Miroku's robe with a shaking hand, worried that it may finally be over for their friend. Yes, they were exhausted from the battle with Naraku, and even Inuyasha couldn't wake them with casual conversation. But, no one could sleep through the death-chilling youki aura Sesshomaru had given off upon his approach. Neither of them could interfere of course – that would be foolish and suicidal. They didn't have a death-wish and they knew they had no chance of winning. So they looked on at the one-sided battle, hoping the demon lord wouldn't kill their friend.

Inuyasha charged at Sesshomaru and yelled "blades of blood", throwing his youki filled blood at Sesshomaru, who simply dodged the attack. Inuyasha barely had any control left before he succumbed to his demonic side, charging again at Sesshomaru with his "Iron weaver soul stealer" attack, and continuously slashing left and right at the demon lord. Sesshomaru continued to smirk at Inuyasha's inability to land a blow on him, and figured it was time to finish these charades, now that his sexual frustration had completely vanished as expected. After one more attack from Inuyasha that managed to cut Sesshomaru's thigh, Sesshomaru opted to simply approach him using his fastest demonic speed, and punch Inuyasha square in the face, sending him flying over 100 yards back from where they had come. Of course, it wasn't a fancy attack, but it accomplished the task: knocking him out and sending him back close to where his friends were so that Sesshomaru didn't have to deal with the aftermath. Plus, he could smell that Inuyasha was still wounded from earlier, so too much power would mean his demise, which would mean Kagome may hate him… 'When did he start caring what others thought?' he wondered. But the reality was, he didn't. It only mattered that she didn't hate him.

Inuyasha slid to a halt, several meters from Sango and Miroku, whom eyes begged the demon lord to stop. He was already finished though, so the puppy eyes were not needed.

"You can have that back," Sesshomaru stated, acknowledging that the spat was over. Miroku nodded to him and Sango started administering first aid with what she carried to the area, until they were back at the camp.

"Thank you for not killing him, Lord Sesshomaru." Miroku moved to recover Tetseiga in order to help draw in Inuyasha's demon blood, so that when he awakens, he would be normal again. Sesshomaru began walking slowly in the direction of his camp, observing nature and thinking of Kagome. He knew she would be sleep when he arrived, so he would return just before daybreak, with a fresh kill for breakfast, before they start their morning journey.

"Come on old friend. What have you gotten yourself into this time?" Miroku questioned an unconscious Inuyasha as he and Sango lifted him over Miroku's back.

"Ka-go—me…" Inuyasha said unconsciously.

"Do you think something happened with Kagome?" Sango inquired.

"Since she is in Lord Sesshomaru's care, I doubt it. But, we can find out more once he recovers." With that said, the group departed back to camp in order to treat Inuyasha's wounds and get some much needed rest.


	13. Chapter 13

**Side Notes:** When you see bold, Sesshomaru's beast is talking. If you see single quotation ' … ' , this is someone's thoughts. I haven't been satisfied with this chapter, which is why I was hesitant on posting it, because then it would have to stick. But I added something more to it to satisfy my needs Just to reiterate, I do not own Inuyasha anything as stated in the summary.

 **Previously…**

Tension began to build between Kagome and Sesshomaru. Since Sesshomaru couldn't act on his desires quite yet, so he rerouted his sexual frustrations.

 **Now…**

Sesshomaru leisurely strolled through the forest as he made his way back to camp. With his sexual tension non-existent, he opted for an earlier return so that he could gaze upon more of Kagome's features as she slept. Out of nowhere, he felt a bone-chilling aura surface not too far off from his location. He immediately turned and headed towards the location, nostrils lifted to scent the creature emitting such an aura. It seemed to be demonic in nature and slightly familiar – not familiar as if he had met whatever it was, but familiar as if he had been around it before. It wasn't strong enough to where it could overwhelm him per say, but it was not weak enough to be ignored.

And just as quickly as he scented and felt its presence, it vanished. This was not a good omen, and Sesshomaru knew it. He lingered in the area a few more brief moments, processing and storing the memory of the scent and aura in the back of his mind, and then proceeded to head back towards camp. His beast was somewhat unsettled, forcing his instincts to ensure the safety of his pack.

Unknown to Sesshomaru, Kagome had arisen and expanded her aura to search the vicinity for the suspicious power. It felt as if eyes were upon her, and she didn't like it. She glanced down at the children, who snuggled closer to her for warmth, then looked left and right to note her surroundings. Her body and powers were on high alert, running on autopilot unknowingly, and fortunately, nothing demonic or evil appeared before her, otherwise, it would have been purified on sight. She unconsciously strengthened the barrier surrounding them, and laid down again after another quick scan of the area.

Sesshomaru felt the increase in Kagome's power, even at his location. She was definitely as powerful as he thought, beautiful too. She would make the perfect mate. Her power fluctuation would have concerned him more, but he had scouted everything within 100 miles already, so he knew his make-shift pack was safe. However, due to the unknown power surge from earlier, he would return much faster than originally intended.

 **Somewhere unknown in the Southern lands**

"Have you found what we need, Tatsuo? (Pronounced: Tot-su-o)" an unknown voice asked.

"Hai, master. The hanyou who possessed the jewel has been disposed of. When we were released, I heard rumors of a power surge in our 500 year prison. I believe it now resides with the priestess, however, I could not confirm this as her barrier would have purified me immediately."

"No matter," said the deep, sultry voice. "All we need is power – a catalyst strong enough to breach the barrier between the realms. Was the power you felt strong?"

"I have never felt another comparable power, even before our 500 year slumber. I know the power was not at full strength, but it was as strong as Midoriko from back then as is."

"That's impossible, Tatsuo! As if one could hold so much holy power. She is obviously using the jewel."

"Damare (shut up), Jett. I know what I felt," Tatsuo hissed while cracking his knuckles.

A sly grin graced Jett's features. He loved inciting Tatsuo, which often led to a quick sparring session. "Hmph. Since you're so sure, I think I'll pay them a little visit, if my master does not mind?"

"It's been far too long for you two to still come at each other's throats. But, Very well. I shall allow you to observe for a brief time. However, do not be reckless, Jett!" the dark Lord muttered the firm warning with a piercing stare.

"Hai," Jett replied, and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke from their undisclosed location.

"There's a good chance he will approach them…" Tatsuo cautioned.

"I am aware. It will allow us to gauge the enemy's strength. We have been sealed much too long for my pleasure, and we must ascertain any obstacles we may face. Failure is not an option!" the dark lord growled.

He and the motley two had been sealed long ago by Midoriko herself. Their seal had held for the longest of time, until it could no longer contain them due to outside interference. Something or someone must have weakened it, but who and why?

 **Back with Sesshomaru**

Sesshomaru headed back to camp with a fresh pair of rabbits for Kagome, Rin, and Shippo to eat once they had awaken. As he closed in on his camp, he noticed her barrier surrounding the area, protecting the pack in his stead, ' **like a good** **alpha female'**. This further proved why she was the one for him. He had never wanted a mate, not because he was so proud and could do everything on his own anyway. But, because most females of his kind that had any worth were always too needy for his affections. They would gawk at him, and prostrate themselves before him. They were also too greedy. They would ruin a kingdom before helping it prosper just to pretty themselves up and brag about hooking the most alluring demon of all. Yes, he was royalty and they should, but that did nothing for him like this defiant creature he had his eyes upon. He slowly walked up to the barrier, believing it would not harm him in the slightest, not with the way their auras danced previously. The barrier let him through as expected, although it tingled more than he would prefer, and he hoisted the rabbits up so that the blood would be drained from their bodies once she awoken.

Upon further inspecting his tiny woman, he noticed a slight shiver and assumed she was cold. He would comfort her in any way possible to show her his affection, since his body was already courting her, but his mind, couldn't seem to relay that information to his intended quite yet. He sat beside her and wrapped his mokomoko around the tiny onna, sending extra youki through it to warm her faster. To his delight, she took hold of a portion of it, causing her to ease her face onto his lap, closing the distance between two, intending to become warmer. He had no issues with this position, and stroked her midnight-colored hair. This action would soothe him and his beast, as she would now carry his scent, even if only a little. He did wonder what her reaction would be when she had arisen. A small smile graced his features as he thought of her surprise, but it quickly fell when he considered the shriek she may make so close to his sensitive ears. For now, he would endure.

An hour or so passed and Kagome started to shift restlessly. As her sleepy eyes fluttered, she wondered when she last slept so well in the feudal era. Her body was warm and her head was comfy, so much so she didn't want to move. She knew didn't bring any pillows with her here and she normally rolled her towel for a makeshift pillow, but it has never been so comfy. As she turned and looked up, she noticed deep golden eyes locking onto her sapphire ones.

"Did you sleep well?" Sesshomaru asked, patiently awaiting the moment she realizes her position.

Her answer was delayed while she admired the magenta markings along his cheeks and eyelids. Everything felt so natural in her half-awoken state that she reached up and stroked his cheek. Sesshomaru welcomed the contact and simply moved his handsome face more into her palm.

With soft eyes full of adoration and a morning smile, Kagome said "I did. It is the best I've had in a long time. Sleeping with you felt so good, Sesshomaru..." She blinked. "Sesshomaru…" she blinked again.

Sesshomaru's beast immediately sent him pictures of laying on top of a naked Kagome, causing his eyes to tint red for the slightest of time, which Kagome noticed.

Finally pulling from her stupor, she immediately jumped up, bowed at the waist, and apologized to Sesshomaru, not sure how she got that way in the first place. She knew the only human he tolerated was Rin, and herself on occasion, but she had never been this close to him before, even if the children were sleeping behind her.

"Why are you apologizing?"

Heat adorned her cheeks at her current situation. 'What does he mean why am I apologizing?'

"For being overly familiar and touching you, although I don't know how it happened."

Sesshomaru had to force back an annoyed snarl. This just wouldn't do. In order for her to become his, these things would be required. He realized that his lack of words would confuse most, but how could he translate this so that she would understand?

"It pleased this one that you did," Sesshomaru stated observantly, wondering how she would process that information.

"Right. I am sorry again." 'Why would it please him for me to lay there?' Kagome thought.

Clearly she still didn't understand him. 'This is the half-breeds fault' his mind surmised. If she had more confidence, she may have understood him differently. Now, he needed to change the way he spoke, if he was to have her at all. But it was of no consequence. He would rebuild her; and show her how worthy she was, one step at a time.


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry the update was so long. I've written 6 chapters but I didn't know which direction I wanted to go in. It was terrible :( But now I'm simply trying to merge them together and put all of them in the story.

 **Previously…**

Kagome woke up, snuggled on Sesshomaru's lap.

 **Now….**

"Kagome. Come here," Sesshomaru said as he extended his hand for hers whilst he still sat in the same spot against the tree, from before.

Nervously, Kagome approached, hands fidgety and eyes averted like a child about to be scolded. This was the first time he used her name. When he said her name, it sparked a longing sensation in her timid heart that made her want to hear it again. Sesshomaru brought her to a kneel in front of himself, face to face, and put one hand on her cheek, gently turning her cheek and forcing her to look at him. Kagome now stared directly into his eyes, as if she were in a trance, heat pooling between her thighs and under her cheeks. Sesshomaru, sensing the moment, had to fight harder for control in order to plainly state his intentions.

"I want you to touch me, Kagome. Any time. Anywhere," he stated so seductively with that deep, masculine voice of his. It almost sounded like an aroused growl from his sensual mouth.

Kagome's brain had to catch up with what she had just been told, which was difficult because she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. Did she hear correctly? Is she still half-sleep? She must be dreaming if she thought that the world's strongest, most sought after demon, and had just told her she was allowed to touch him. If anyone touched him, she just assumed they would lose the offending limb. But she had been giving permission. She just had to clarify. She had to be sure she wasn't dreaming. Slowly, she started clenching her free hand into a fist, nails biting into her palm, almost enough to draw blood until Sesshomaru reached for the hand, worried about the confusion, curiosity, and excitement in her scent. He would never be rejected by any demoness, but she was a human – a strange, intriguing human whose customs were mostly unknown to him - whom managed to weasel her way into his heart.

He didn't understand why she seemed to want to hurt herself. Did she not want to touch him? Was he not desirable enough for her? Based on last night's aura chemistry, that wouldn't make any sense. The amount of lust and sexual tension could be cut with Tensaiga – and that's saying a lot considering the sword couldn't cut a line through dirt.

His breath caught in his throat, something he has never experienced before. He was worried about her rejecting him, or saying she didn't want that. Not knowing what else to say, he opted for silence with an expectant look on his face, asking her to say something.

And what could she say. Nothing. Every time she opened her mouth to speak, she closed it again in disbelief. She still feared that she heard wrong, and if that was the case, she wanted to live in the moment. But she had to know. She was a new Kagome, not the "go with the flow and maybe one day you'll know" Kagome. So she attempted again, her face turning as red as it would be if sunburned.

"I – its – okay - if I touch you? Is that what you said?"

"Those are the words I spoke. Do you not want to touch me? Does this Sesshomaru offend you in some way?" Now it was his turn to look confused. Clearly she heard him. Why make him repeat it? 'Oh right. Her confidence is probably lacking due to insurmountable insecurities caused by that fool' he thought.

"No, no" Kagome said with a higher pitched tone and a brisk waive of her hands, indicating her shock. "And I'm not saying I don't want to touch you either… But, I'm not saying I do either… Actually, I don't know what I'm saying anymore," Kagome said, eyes looking at the grass near her feet, feeling embarrassed and finally sitting fully in front of him. She couldn't just come out and say, "Take off your shirt so I can feel your chest" or some other ridiculous notion her brain threw at her. But what harm was there in thinking it?

But, what does this mean for them? What would her new limits be? The whole "new me" thing Kagome was experiencing was difficult, primarily because she was forcing herself to change at an exponential rate, instead of gradually, like normal humans would do. But normal humans don't time travel 500 years to the past, fighting and slaying demons to rid the world of evil, just to ensure the future. 'Not normal. Check.' But she made a commitment to herself. This was simply knowledge, Confidence, and the will to do more. Be more. There was no need to slow down, so long as she was not being reckless. But still, the journey she had decided upon was more uncomfortable than an NFL football player in an ice bath after the first game of the regular season. She'd just have to take it as it came.

Sesshomaru noticed her struggle and wanted to make it as simple as possible. Maybe she needed a push. Before he could ask her concerns, she spoke again.

"When you say "touch you", what do you mean? Like it's ok to use you as a pillow? I can hold your hand?" 'I can kiss your lips', she thought, mentally cursing herself for the way it slightly aroused her.

"You can do all those things," was Sesshomaru's short answer.

Kagome still fumbling for what it truly meant. Ok, so he was ok with her as a human touching him. But what did it really mean? With a different type of determination, she was ready to confront him and ask a straightforward question. The answer would not leave her second-guessing anything, she hoped.

"Sesshomaru, this may be bold of me, but if I don't ask, I may misunderstand what you are saying," Kagome stated lowly, glancing at the children to ensure they were still sleeping. "What am I to you?" she asked in a quieter tone. The kids were shifting more, and she would die if they were listening to her conversation. Even then, she was nervous of the answer, but better to know upfront than be disappointed later.

Sesshomaru pondered her question for a moment, thinking of the best answer. He would simply try to tell her everything, and hoped that would suffice.

"You are a beautiful creature full of loyalty like this one has never seen. You are fearless in the face of danger, even if the odds are not in your favor. You are compassionate, caring, and powerful, should any foe encounter your wrath. You have become everything this Sesshomaru hopes to have as his intended, if you will allow it."

That was one of the longest sentences she had ever heard from the demon lord, and it was entirely about her. He cared for her and told her of his feelings, true feelings spoken from the heart. It was bringing tears to her eyes to know that he felt the same as she did with her desire, making her want to touch him since he had given her his approval already.

The scent of her tears in the air, although they had not fallen, caused him to stiffen. He did not sense any sadness, so he deduced he had not upset her. He didn't know why she would cry after he told her of his observations of her person. And she noticed the stiff breathing and confusion in his eyes, and figured he didn't understand her emotions. He was Sesshomaru. If emotions was a subject in high school, he would fail with a big fat "F".

"Why the tears? Does my answer hurt you?" he asked with an actual glimpse of concern on his face.

"That's not it. Your answer is fine, amazing really. I'm just happy to know how you feel about me and relieved at the same time. It's a human thing."

She noticed the tension in his shoulders relax at her statement, and thought back to a prior conversation they had. She decided to imitate him from that time.

"Sesshomaru. That sounds like what you demons call a love confession, or rather, an intent to mate, is it not?"

Love? That was something unfamiliar to Sesshomaru. He wasn't quite sure if that emotion explained his feelings, but he was sure she would know. She was human after all. Then, a flicker in his eye indicated that she was mocking him from the time in the cave. He said the same thing to her about humans. This little human just keeps surprising him, causing him to smile ever so slightly back at her. To his delight, he was graced with a soft, warm smile as she tilted her head to the side.

"This Sesshomaru is not familiar with what love is unfortunately, but I will not deny my feelings for you. I want you to be mine, Kagome. I will fight to make you mine if I must".

Kagome stared wide-eyed at his statement. 'Fight who? Inuyasha? As if.' Kagome laughed nonchalantly as if to say 'I don't even know what that means'. She dismissed the thought since she knew she only had feelings for him.

She continued to stare into his blazing sunlit eyes, still surprised that he actually wanted her too. She just didn't know what the next step would be. She was inexperienced to the world as a virgin already, and being back in the feudal era, with a demon no less, was definitely going to be a wild card to her life.

"Why would you have to fight? Who would you have to fight? I don't belong to anyone and my feelings for Inuyasha are history," Kagome said as she tilted her head to the other side with a serious expression of confusion upon her delicate face.

And, he could see the confusion written on her face, so he decided to enlighten her on their cave conversation.

"You realized you were in love with a demon in the cave, if I recall correctly," stated with a hint of malice and anger.

Kagome, being Kagome, had an 'ah ha' moment, and realized she hadn't actually told him he's the one she's in love with. He's practically proposed to her in demon terms as well, and she still hadn't replied to him. Just as she was about to, Shippo woke up in a sneezing fit, redirecting her attention from the sexy demon god in front of her. Kagome nodded to Sesshomaru and went over to her son to sit him up and make sure he was ok. 'How typical of her to stop what she's doing to help someone else', Sesshomaru thought, although he wanted to finish their conversation.

Sesshomaru was slightly irritated. The kit kept getting in the way each time he was on the brink of something. He could tell she was going to reveal something important, and she would probably forget what it was. But what could he do? Her desire to forsake herself to care for others was one of her charms. So, he would wait patiently, even though he was raging on the inside, for an answer to his question. He did ask right? ' **Yes** '. He was frantic on the inside. Rejection was never something he needed to concern himself with, but now, with her, it was everything. He couldn't take his eyes off her for fear of the worst.

Kagome noticed his eyes on her and blushed again, wondering why he was staring so long. Sure, she just heard the confession of a lifetime from none other than the killing perfection himself…. Wait a minute…. 'And I didn't answer…' Kagome felt her stomach drop with a vertigo sensation as if on a roller coaster. Mr. Emotionless himself just confessed to her and she didn't even answer. At this point, she could just die, seriously this time. She's come close several times with the witch and Kikyo, the human faced fruit eater, Naraku. But no, they all failed. Perhaps her heart would just give out at any moment? But, that would be too easy. An inaudible sigh escaped her mouth.

After assisting Shippo, she had thanked Sesshomaru for the food, and had begun cleaning the rabbits in comfortable silence, and told Shippo to awaken Rin. Now, it was awkward because she couldn't answer him in front of them. She could just say "yes, to answer your question" but that's just too inconsiderate in her opinion. She would answer when the opportunity presented itself. When breakfast was complete and eaten, the group started walking again. Kagome immersed herself in her thoughts, thinking of her stupidity for hours. She walked a few paces behind Sesshomaru with the children and Ah-Un on her side. As she walked, she couldn't stop thinking about touching and holding his hands. He gave her permission already, so why shouldn't she? 'Because it's embarrassing and the children would be watching… And what if he rejects me? It's not like I told him, "I'd love to be your intended"' she thought. But again, this was supposed to be her time now. No more waiting. She didn't know much about love either, but she knew she wanted him. And she wanted him to want her. And he did. So why not take the plunge?

"Sesshomaru, if you don't mind, I would like to give you an answer later, in regards with what we were talking about earlier, if that's ok with you? In a different setting, if you know what I mean?"

Sesshomaru took note of the blatant nervous in her aura and thought she might be embarrassed to speak of such a topic in front of Rin and Shippo. But he was also nervous that she could not say yes immediately, which frazzled him to no end. But we could he do? He would give her the time she needed and hope her nervousness was caused by her pure nature, and assume that she wanted the two of them to be alone, by her comment.

"Hn."

He provided her his signature response and the journey continued. He would try not to think of her needing more time as negative, and just hope it would be different when they were alone again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Previously…**

Sesshomaru told Kagome what he thought of her. Shippo cock-blocked again as he woke up sneezing.

 **Now…**

As the group continued their hike, Kagome chatted mostly with Rin and Shippo during their travels, and some occasional comments to the demon lord himself. It had been a while since their departure, and although Kagome fell into a normal traveling routine, she wanted to speak more to the demon lord.

More often than not, Kagome would remember how he told her that she was allowed to touch him. She took several glances at his hand and wondered if she could get away with placing her palm in his. This always brought a blush to her cheeks, filled with heat, just thinking of it. Although he had given her permission, she wasn't sure of her limits, which kept her actions to a minimum. Plus, this was well past bold on her part. But, she had desires that needed fulfilling and the only person she wanted to fulfill those lustful needs and wants was Sesshomaru. Of course, she wouldn't rush into things and say "take me now!" The thought of it sounded as ridiculous as Inuyasha wanting to have a peaceful relationship with his brother – 'half brother.' But she needed to take baby steps, and finally pursue what she wanted.

"Sesshomaru. If you don't mind my asking, where are we traveling to?" Kagome asked curiously. She kept a smooth pace about two steps behind and to the right of him the majority of the time.

"We head to this one's shiro, about a day's travel at our current pace."

"Oh."

Kagome wondered why they would be going there, but more importantly, what was it like? Thinking logically, he must have a home somewhere in the west and subjects to rule. How else could he be a "Lord" of all things? Now that she thought about it, it had been a few days since she saw her friends and she wondered how they were doing. Last she heard, Miroku proposed to Sango and she had agreed. That was one thing Kagome definitely wanted to get the ball rolling on.

Sesshomaru noticed the spike of happiness in Kagome's aura. He seemed to think she was excited to finally see his home. They had been having conversations off and on about the way it looks, who lives there, and the like. He enjoyed speaking with her as he learned that she was well educated, a characteristic not common with ningen females, which made their routine most pleasant. The little things she spoke of would help him better understand her when he felt it was the right time to ask to court her.

"Kagome. What is the courting process of humans?" Sesshomaru asked curiously.

Kagome almost tripped on a vine winding across the forest floor, caught off guard by the question. 'Stupid vine.'

"The courting process, like marriage?" Sesshomaru nodded indicating for her to continue. A light blush painted her cheeks as she thought of how to approach this topic.

"Well, customs differ based on geographical location, I suppose. Where I am from, women are practically equal to men, and they can do anything men can. The man pursues the woman most of the time, through dating, courting for demons, in an attempt to get to know the woman and gain her favor. The overall goal is to find someone you can love and trust wholeheartedly, for the rest of your life, after all. Spending time together is very important to building trust and understanding the other person. Here though, the men are higher than the women in society, sometimes, they even treat women as items and possessions with blatant disrespect and that just gets so far beneath my skin…"

Kagome had been so immersed in the topic that she started rambling at some point, while gesturing with her hands, and blushed when she caught Sesshomaru's eyes on her. He was actually listening to her very attentively when she let her aura spike, recalling the way men treated women there. Of course, not all of them were bad, but she'd seen some things since traveling throughout the feudal era that she just wouldn't stand for.

Sesshomaru's own aura had reacted to hers, and moved on its own accord to soothe hers back and comfort her. You could see the mild surprise in his eyes from the action. Sesshomaru noticed the way she spoke of the men's treatment of women, and made a mental note never to disrespect her. Kagome looked to him and gave him a reassuring smile, partly because of his attentiveness, and partly as an apology. She naturally allowed her hand to approach his hand, and squeezed her palm to it. She couldn't help the excitement and embarrassment she felt, as this was the first time she initiated such contact with another of this caliber. Sure, she kissed Inuyasha in the castle that one time, but that was to bring him back to his senses, and her feelings were not as strong as they are for Sesshomaru now. The time they were spending together on the journey to his castle, allowed her to become more comfortable with the demon lord, which is also why she decided to take this chance.

Sesshomaru reveled in the feeling of her touch and wanted to bring her closer in an embrace while nuzzling her neck. He refrained however, and accepted the contact she provided. 'Soon', he thought.

Unfortunately the moment was short lived, as Kagome felt a presence fast approaching their location. She snatched her hand away, moved backwards, and took up a defensive stance near the children. Sesshomaru had already sensed the demoness and her aid approaching, so he did not feel threatened. She closed in and stopped in front of him with a low bow to greet him.

"Lord Sesshomaru. It has been a long time," the female said.

 **Back with Inuyasha…**

"What kind of friends are you guys anyway? I told you, Sesshomaru is going to hurt her. We have to stop em!" Inuyasha yelled.

"But, Inuyasha, why do you think this? It's not that we don't believe you, but he has done nothing but protect Lady Kagome," Miroku defended.

Inuyasha had slept most of the night and day as they nursed his wounds as best they could until he healed on his own. He looked downright terrible, really. But, he pulled through as expected. Miroku had to keep him restrained with sutras the following day, just to allow his wounds to close. As soon as his eyes opened, Inuyasha wanted to take off after Kagome once more, so he didn't have much of a choice. During the restraint, he kept mumbling how he was going to kick Miroku's ass, and that Sango wasn't safe either. Sango simply sighed and gave him the side eye, suggesting he just shut up and let his wounds heal.

Kagome was like the sister Sango never had, so of course, she would be worried about anything related to her. But, she would not let her worries affect her judgment if she could help it. Due to the serious nature of Inuyasha's wounds, they couldn't afford to take off without being at least at 85%. Although Naraku was destroyed, it was too risky to have to care for dead weight, when time was all that was needed, since Miroku assured her Kagome was safe.

After the next day had come and gone, Inuyasha had healed almost completely, so they departed to investigate Inuyasha's claim and headed West. As Sango and Miroku rode atop Kirara, they spoke of how they would need to start preparing for their wedding. Sango was excited and nervous at the same time. Miroku was still in disbelief. He never thought he would be alive to see Naraku perish, and be able to start a family of his own. He casually rested his hand upon Sango's hip and upper buttocks area. Surprisingly enough, she simply blushed really hard and allowed it to stay there. Inuyasha, smelling the change in both their scents, simply looked on with jealousy. He couldn't wait to get Kagome back so that things would be normal again, and he could finally show her a different, more honest side to himself.

"If you two stop feeling all over each other, we could probably get there faster!" Inuyasha yelled. Sango immediately stiffened and slapped Miroku's hand away. Miroku made an inaudible grumble and looked at his friend with irritation. Apparently she didn't mind if no one noticed. Now that he understood that, he replied to Inuyasha.

"Don't be foolish Inuyasha. It would take us at least a day or so to reach them. We can't simply run all day without breaks. Let me remind you my friend, that we are human. So is Kagome."

Inuyasha simply growled and mumbled under his breath, realizing that Kagome would need breaks to. For now, he would continue at their pace and simply focus on retrieving her. There was no point in arguing with Miroku, at least not yet.


	16. Chapter 16

**Previously…**  
Kagome and Sesshomaru enjoyed each other's company while heading towards his shiro. Then, an unknown visitor approached the group.

 **Now…**

"Lord Sesshomaru. I hope you have been well," said the beautiful demoness as she bowed lowly.

"Mira. Why are you here?"

"I had decided to venture from the city to hunt with my servant, when I picked up your aura my Lord. I see there is a Miko with you" Mira said as she glanced at Kagome with devilish eyes. "Might I dispose of her for you?"

Kagome flared her aura in reaction to the threat. Her eyes glowed as she placed a barrier around the children, and readied her bow. Sesshomaru stepped in front of Kagome and stared down at the kneeled demoness, as his aura surged and oppressed the demoness.

"You will not threaten any in this Sesshomaru's pack, else you shall perish," Sesshomaru stated regally.

"Hai, my Lord. I only wish to be of service to you once more. It has been decades since I last received a visit from my Lord," Mira said as she looked glanced at Sesshomaru enticingly.

She was very beautiful with her dark blue hair up in a bun. She wore a short, customized, light pink kimono top that stopped at her hips, with dark blue hakamas made for hunting, while maintaining her elegance. Her skin was fair and spotless. Standing at 5'7, she truly was one of the most beautiful demonesses in the Western capital. But she was a fool. He had detected her long before she noticed him. Yes, she was well bred, beautiful, and from a noble family. But, the female had no self-awareness, no real power, and nothing but looks going for her. She would not be able to protect any pups she may have. Sure, he rutted with her before, but he would never bestow the honor of Lady of the West to her.

Kagome did not miss the way Mira spoke to Sesshomaru, indicating the two had a personal relationship of some sort. Her imagination could easily imagine the insinuations by the demoness. She kept, what she thought, was a tight rein on her aura and glanced at Sesshomaru briefly before lowering her barrier. It spiked just enough to indicate her irritation and slight jealously, one of which Sesshomaru noticed. He would have no nonsense while preparing to court Kagome.

"That will never happen again" Sesshomaru stated with finality. He looked to his pack and indicated it was time to move on. If he wasted anymore time in her presence, he would decapitate the demoness, and then his court would require an explanation as to why. So, the pack began to follow and continue on to the shiro.

Mira was fuming inside, knowing that Sesshomaru spoke truth in his words. He would never touch her again; those big, sensual demon hands would never rub her in the right places again; it was something she would do anything for. No other had ever sated her so fully and completely. Her servant, knowing her place, did nothing to attract the Lord's attention for fear of his ruthlessness. She understood her Lord's value to Mira, recalling how her Lady practically glowed for weeks after the encounter. She would try to comfort her master at a later time.

After Sesshomaru had left the area, Mira decided to follow as close as she could while providing her Lord privacy. She wouldn't press her luck, but she wondered what had changed. She had the pleasure of pleasing her Lord on two separate occasions, something that very few others had received the privilege to do. She would try her best to get to the bottom of it.

Meanwhile, an eye in the sky by the name of Jett, spectated the interaction with great interest. The winged demon wondered how he could interfere with the group just enough to test Sesshomaru's strength and gauge the Miko's power. For now, he would continue to observe.

After a few hours of walking, Sesshomaru stopped the group near a rocky terrain. Shippo and Rin continued to talk aimlessly, while Kagome was caught up in her own thoughts. She was sure Sesshomaru and the pretty demoness had intimate relations together, and her jealousy kept fluctuating ever so slightly. She could still feel the demoness on the edge of her aura, but if Sesshomaru didn't feel she was a threat, then Kagome would keep her composure. After the uneasy gathering, Kagome had yet to speak to her demon crush again. Everything she thought of saying, seemed as if it would be said with anger or jealousy. However, he didn't deserve that and she knew it. 'Of course there would be someone before me. Why can't I just accept that?' Kagome thought secretly. 'Then, she was so pretty… I may not be the most beautiful, but damn it, I'm not ugly!' Her aura was wild and all over the place, then tinged with sadness and Sesshomaru was further disturbed.

Fortunately, there was a hot springs up over the ridge he was sure she would love. It was surrounded by rocky terrain and grass patches, with a cliff that connected to it. It would be one of the last stops before they reached his castle, and he understood how Kagome preferred to bath every night. For whatever reason, it was rumored to be called the "Springs of Inhibition," although he knew not why. It relaxed him immensely, and for that, he would visit it often.

"We will camp here. We will reach the castle after a nights rest. There is spring just over the ridge there, Miko."

Kagome nodded and gathered her bathing materials from her yellow back pack she had been carrying. She would put on a separate, purple colored, kimono and black hakamas that Sesshomaru had given her, when they initially set out from the cave.

"Rin, will you join me for a bath?" As Kagome looked to Ah-Un, she noticed Rin had already fallen asleep with Shippo. 'Guess that's a no.'

Once she reached the spring, she stripped, tested the water with her foot, and immediately stepped down and under to wash away the stress and jealous thoughts that plagued her. She had to tell herself that this was not the same as being second to Kikyo. This was just someone showing up from the past, which is to be expected. Perhaps, she just wasn't ready to face anything from his past? Or at least, she wanted to wait until things between her and Sesshomaru were clearer. A small sigh escaped her lips as she felt someone enter the barrier she placed around the springs.

"Can I help you?" Kagome asked the servant, not making eye contact.

"Konbonwa, Priestess. I am impressed that you noticed me, as my aura is undetectable by most. My name is Ryoko, and my Lady would like to meet with you."

"Oh? And what would your Lady like with this priestess, pray tell?" Kagome said in her best, stoic Sesshomaru impersonation. She was not in the mood. This demoness was interrupting her bath, her escape from her current, raging inner turmoil. Yet, the object of her frustrations, had the nerve to summon her. It was deathly laughable. Kagome was starting to not recognize herself. Based on her current feelings, she knew this meeting would not turn out well, but she wouldn't back down.

"I was not informed of the nature of the request," Ryoko politely informed. She could tell the priestess was on edge by the flicker of power in her eyes. She would choose the wise path and keep her distance.

Kagome stood from the water in annoyance, modesty out the window. She reached the edge of the springs, grabbed her short, purple kimono that stopped just beneath her buttocks, with light pink sakura petals near the bottom, and pulled it on mid-stride and followed the servant as she suppressed her aura and scent. Perhaps, kimono was not the right word for it, since it was shorter and meant to be worn with hakamas, but she didn't even bother with those. On the inside, she was taking deep breaths, intent on finishing this conversation quickly, and returning to the baths before Sesshomaru noticed she was gone. She wasn't a child under curfew, but she still gave respect to those who deserved it.

After a few more minutes, they arrived by the opening near the cliff where Mira awaited. She looked upon Kagome as if to "size her up" which Kagome noticed, and mentally scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Is there something you need this priestess for, Mira?" Kagome said, getting straight to the point.

Mira actually appreciated the straightforwardness of the question. Beating around the bush was never a strong point of hers, not that there were many to begin with.

"Yes, there is. Would you mind telling me why you travel with Lord Sesshomaru? Have you cast a spell of some kind on him?"

'Ahh Jealously. Ha ha ha. I don't have time for this' Kagome thought.

"Surely you did not ask me here to interrogate my being with Sesshomaru?" Kagome inwardly smirked at how Mira's eyes twitched at the informality she showed when using his name.

"Lord Sesshomaru is a Taiyokai, ruler of the Western Lands. He does not need to be seen in the company of some Miko. His tastes are as refined as his breeding. Surely there is nothing he needs you for?" Mira all but gloated.

"And I suppose he is in need of your….. "services?"

"I have pleased my Lord on more than one occasion" Mira said shooting daggers at Kagome with her eyes.

"Well, this Priestess had gathered as much when he mentioned that your "services" were no longer needed. I can't imagine for the life of me, why the handsome demon Lord himself would reject someone as beautiful as you now? Perhaps, your "services" were not as fulfilling as someone else, maybe?" The sarcasm and distaste dripped from Kagome's mouth like a poison stronger than Sesshomaru could muster. Who the heck was this Kagome?

But at this point, Kagome did not care what came out of her mouth. The audacity of this demoness to question her travels with the pack, as if she were something special. Well, maybe she was at one point. That has yet to be cleared up. And yes, maybe her services were not as fulfilling, since he cast her aside? She made sure not to actually mention that she was superior, since she had no experience at all. But, if this riled up the demon female, then so be it. The demoness could draw her own conclusions. She was ready to get back to her bath anyway.

Mira, on the other hand, wouldn't stand for being ridiculed. The Miko had the nerve to suggest that she was a better choice in the pleasures of a demon; a taiyokai no less. She had practically told her that she was bedding Sesshomaru – at least that's the conclusion her mind processed. Her power spiked (which wasn't much) and she launched at Kagome and swiped her claws furiously, in an X pattern, hoping to land a strike. Kagome simply enhanced her feet with reiki and jumped from left to right, simply dodging the attack. She would not have her gifted Kimono ruined over such nonsense. So, she made the decision to end this quickly.

Sesshomaru felt the surge in Kagome's power, and made haste to the area. He landed on a tree to observe the altercation. He arrived in time to hear part of the conversation that mentioned his status and his lands and came to the conclusion that this female was definitely causing him setbacks. He knew that Kagome could easily handle an opponent of this caliber, but he hoped she wouldn't kill the fool. He also couldn't risk interfering, as it may seem like he was defending her, which would be an incorrect assumption and would not aid him in achieving his goal.

Kagome charged at Mira, Kimono flowing in the wind revealing a lot of skin due to its shortness and the sash becoming partly undone. With her reiki infused fist, she punched her square in the jaw, and sent her flying to a tree 10 feet back. This was not enough to immobilize the female, so she surged again at Mira, touched both hands to her stomach, and blasted pure reiki into and through the demoness.

In unbelievable pain, Mira moved her hands over her stomach wound and panted for air. She had never been in such intense pain before, and was now experiencing the error of her assumptions. This was no priestess. This was the devil; Lucifer himself was trying to kill her, all so that she could take and keep Sesshomaru to herself.

"You… bitch… (Cough, cough)" Mira said as she coughed up blood while sliding down the tree. The tree had a fist sized hole in it similar to the one in Mira's stomach. Blood poured and pooled around her while her breathing became jagged. She would live, but those wounds would take time to heal. Kagome kept herself in check, only exerting enough power to make a point, and make it hurt. She was not weak.

"That filthy mouth of yours is what got you in trouble in the first place. I suggest you do not make assumptions about this priestess in the future." With narrowed eyes, Kagome continued to look at Mira while she began to speak to the servant whom she noticed was antsy. "Ryoko, I will not kill her, but I will not help her either. You are free to do as you wish," Kagome said to the servant, feeling the fear and sadness in her aura. She began to head back towards the hot spring to finish her bath, with complete disregard for her wardrobe.

"Thank you for sparing her, my Lady" the servant mentioned as she bowed low. As far as she knew, her master was dead. No one in the demon world, would've spared her. Thus, her respect for the priestess grew.

Sesshomaru could not avert his eyes from Kagome. He was mesmerized. Her hair was disheveled as if he had just finished ravishing her. Her legs were long and shapely, giving elegance to her walk, with the kimono stopping just beneath her buttocks, but enough to show the curvature; if she turned fast enough, he would get an even bigger eyeful. And the sash of the kimono was barely keeping her front covered. At this point, it looked more like a man's yukata with the way it opened to reveal cleavage from supple breasts, making a long V-line. The top of the Kimono even draped off her shoulders, revealing her slender neck and all of her collarbone. His eyes tinted blood red and he unconsciously licked his lips. He was thirsty.


	17. Chapter 17

**Previously…**

Kagome did not take kindly to Mira's interrogation, which resulted in a gaping hole in Mira's stomach as a result.

 **Chapter 17**

"You can stop staring at me Sesshomaru. I didn't kill your girlfriend, as you can see," Kagome stated blandly. Her emotions were driving her nuts; she didn't know if she wanted to be mad at him, jealous at her, force him down and straddle him, or just be all around angry.

Sesshomaru's eyes bled red, though he was still in control, and immediately dove down from one of the few trees in the vicinity, swooped Kagome up bridal style, and made a bee line back to the hot springs. Kagome clasped her arms around his neck as he breezed through the small area and arrived at his destination. The closeness they shared caused Kagome to become slightly aroused as she clung to Sesshomaru. As he allowed her to stand near the edge of the springs, Mr. Perfect smelled her citrus berry scent, and was currently fighting very hard not to take her right then and there.

"I could have walked back here on my own." Kagome said, slightly irritated. For whatever reason, she just couldn't get a handle on her emotions. She would finish her bath, and sort her feelings afterwards.

Sesshomaru started undressing slowly, making his way into the spring, unbeknownst to Kagome. She had removed her sash, then her purple robe, and folded it nicely, bending over to place it gently on the ground, and proceeded to stand before she could not, and her hair was moving swiftly with the wind once again.

Sesshomaru's mind was reeling. THAT WAS IT! He could take no more. He was exercising his control as much as possible already, and she was pushing him to the max! In less than a second, he had her picked up, and forced her against the cliffs wall in the springs, with one leg between her thighs. He could do many things in this vertical position, and move if necessary.

Shock took over her features as her face became red hot with embarrassment and arousal. She stared into those golden depths as he looked at her with longing, speaking of the things he wanted to do to her with just his eyes. Kagome's breath caught and she panted. The closeness; the heat; it was just too much. She definitely wanted Sesshomaru. That much was clear. In the back of her mind, something kept nagging at her though, not allowing her to fully let go.

"Sesshomaru, what are you doing?" she managed to ask with shallow breaths.

Sesshomaru strained to answer. The air was too thick with both their arousals, and in the back of his mind, he knew Kagome was more modest than this. This forwardness was welcome, but not her true self. Perhaps the truth of the spring is exactly in its name. He would not have expected her to handle Mira as she did. There was no hesitation. And here he was, losing control. That has never happened before.

Sesshomaru inhaled deeply, fangs showing, stripes jagged. He wanted to try and speak as best he could, given the situation.

"Kagome." He all but forced out the word in a husky, throaty breath. Her arousal spiked even higher. He rested his mouth in the crook of her neck, trying to resist the urge to taste her.

Now, she was nervous. She trusted Sesshomaru and knew that he would never hurt her, but the tension was so thick, it was hard to breathe. She lifted her hands to rest on each of his shoulders, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes, waiting for him to say something else. Clearly, something was wrong with him. Hell, something was wrong with her! And if he felt like she did, she couldn't trust herself. But she would not be some quick fuck. She needed the forever. She needed trust and love. She needed him to say something else.

In a hushed whisper, she turned to fully face him and asked "Sesshomaru, what's wrong?" She heard him exhale, as if he was restraining himself. Everything in this moment was so strange and bizarre. She was being weird; he was being weird. She didn't finish her bath…. 'That is not important right now'.

She moved her hands to each side of his face and looked him in those piercing red eyes. Her breath caught in her throat at how beautiful he was to her in that moment, and she did something completely out of character… She kissed him. Just a simple soft touch of the lips that lingered for a few seconds, and she moved back. He was surprised, to say the least. He licked his lips, tasting her sweet mouth. She tasted like a forbidden wine, and her delectable, overbearing scent was making him intoxicated. His beast forced images of ravishing her into his mind, and he couldn't help but wonder how good she would sound screaming his name. With forced exertion, Sesshomaru was able to speak. "I didn't know you could be so bold" he stated as he inhaled deeply once more and licked his lips again, the scent of her arousal thick in the air.

Realizing what she had done caused her face to heat faster than a firecracker and she casually looked to the side. "I… I didn't mean to, but with your face so handsome and so close to mine, I just – I don't know what came over me."

Hearing her compliment his regal self was not making this any less difficult. Sesshomaru exhaled again and pulled back from her just a bit to show it was "serious time".

"Do not fret. I welcome all of you. But, I want to be sure you want what you are asking of me with your scent, your taste, your actions, your body."

Feeling daring, Kagome squared her shoulders and pushed her chest forward just a bit to speak, wondering if she should really ask her question, but finding it hard to resist.

"What are my scent and taste asking you to do to me?" she asked as she licked her lips. Sesshomaru shifted and rub his hardened cock against her waist, showing her exactly what he meant. Kagome gasped, realizing she was starting to feel even hotter, although the sun had long since set and there was a cool night breeze.

"Let me first say this. This spring has been known to remove a person's restrictions; anything that you may normally hesitate to do, or perhaps, stop yourself from doing, this spring convinces you to let those inhibitions go. I've never experienced this before, but I will tell you I am at my limit." As he spoke the next words, his eyes narrowed as he lifted her chin with his hand so that she would be eye level, his lips barely an inch from hers. "However, your scent and body are telling me to fuck you like crazy, mark and mate you, and fill you with my seed," he said as he moved his hand down the curvature of her waist.

Fighting the effects of the spring, Kagome wasn't sure how she wanted to proceed, as she normally would expect in this type of situation. Yes, she wanted him too, but she didn't want him to want her just because of the hot springs. Sure, he mentioned that he wanted her, but they never got to have that conversation so that she may understand how deep he wanted to go.

But Sesshomaru is honorable, and would never lie. He intended to court her already. He wanted to mate her and she knew the truth. As fast as her mind was processing information, she already had everything she needed. But she wanted confirmation. She wanted to be sure his feelings was because he needed her, loved her, well before they ventured to this spring.

"So you only want me because the spring is causing you to?" Kagome slowly started to get angry which quickly plummeted to depression in mere moments at the thought. It was definitely the effect of the spring.

"No. I wanted you well before you joined my pack. I wanted you when I followed your group for the last several months. I'll admit, when you collapsed after the battle with Naraku, I took advantage of the moment to take you away so that I may ask to court you. But at this moment, if I take you, I will mate you. I am trying to be….. Considerate…. of your human needs. Once a demon decides a mate, it happens almost instantly. But you are not a demon. That's why, if you don't want this, I need to know now."

Relief washed over Kagome at Sesshomaru's confession. Although he didn't say the words, "I love you", she was sure that he felt deeply for her after admitting that he was following them for a while and had already made his decision. Above all, he is honorable and never lies, so there was no need to question it further.

"If you will have this Sesshomaru. I would like to properly court you." Sesshomaru said expectantly. His eyes practically were pleading her to say yes. There was sparkle there that she's never seen before, and she could never say no to that.

"I would love to be your mate, Sesshomaru. I've wanted to tell you for a while now, but I could never find the right moment. Plus, I knew you weren't very fond of humans and I doubted myself because of that, even with everything that had happened."

There was truth to the words she spoke. It's not like he went around parading his feelings everywhere, so how would she know how he felt and what human who heard of him, would even attempt to confess their affections? The only thing he could do was to show her how much he desired her to erase any doubts she may still have.

Another chapter now that the holidays - except my vacation to New York this weekend - are finally over over. Yes, I know I wrote that word twice.

I intended to do lemon pieces in this story, like not full blown lemon, but apparently for the next chapter, it seems I have included a half lemon. I'm thinking it'll be done in 2 weeks. Thanks for reading.


	18. Chapter 18

**Previously….**

Sesshomaru took Kagome back to the hot springs with lustful intentions blazing through his eyes.

 **Now…**

Sesshomaru kissed her forcefully, deep and passionately. He only moved slightly to allow her time to breathe. He didn't want to rush things, although she had given him the consent he was looking for. Still, he needed some kind of satisfaction. He grabbed her bridal style, faster than the speed of light, and splayed her in the soft grass at the edge of the spring. His long, silver strands of hair formed a curtain around them as he propped himself up with his hand and stared into her eyes. She stared back into his eyes, noticing at some point, they became golden with a slight pink tint, instead of blood red as before. He bent down and gently kissed the side of her mouth and worked his way down to her neck.

His fangs ached to bite her in the groove, but he would not. He would wait, at least he thought he would, and satisfy himself with simple nips here and there, while some would draw blood. She tasted like heaven, sent from the gods themselves. It would take everything to for him to stay in control of himself. How long has he waited to touch her here and nip her there? I often would he watch her from afar, unwilling to venture closer to her in order to keep denying the inevitable? How long would it take before she broke him, and that he would finally give in to the temptress of the Shikon Miko? How often did he think such trivial things, when everything he could've asked for, all of the glory and the conquest, could be held in one woman; 'his woman'.

"Kagome. Am I hurting you?" He asked piercingly because she was too responsive, not that it was a bad thing. But, she was panting like crazy, gripping the grass ferociously, eyes glazed over, cheeks tinted pink, and her other hand was scraping across his shoulder and upper back. It felt good. Too good. A pleasure that even he had not yet experienced. And, her aura was another story. It was invading him, as if it was trying to fill him up with her purity and heat, making him hot with the pain and pleasure, especially on his stub of an arm. It saturated the area with her radiance and called to his own, melding and mingling, causing volts of electricity to dazzle across the spring and mystify the dew in the grass. The scent of flowers was becoming more pronounced he noticed, nice and subtle, yet not overbearing, but the thought was fleeting quickly as more important matters needed addressing.

As he worked his way down even further, he supported himself with his knees and licked circles around her navel and stomach. Her reactions were phenomenal, each soft mewl a melody to his elfin ears. He continued down further and allowed his hand to venture to her pearl. The tension and excitement was so high, she screamed his name after just a few circular strokes. He knew he would be hard pressed to maintain his impeccable control if he continued, but he would not stop today. Worse case scenario, he would have to make sure to still court her as tradition demands… even if he had to modify the order a bit.

"Sesshomaru, ple – please," Kagome panted.

"You are so greedy Ka-go-me," he teased.

Sesshomaru pulled his hand away to taste her juices on his fingers and instantly wanted more. He pulled her legs up to him with both arms and dove head first to taste the finest wine known as Kagome. 'Both arms?' he thought. He looked over and observed his arm and tested it. Truth be told, he was shocked. It just didn't register as much since the current task at hand took precedent over anything else. This must've been why he was feeling so hot and full of Kagome's aura. She was restoring him. How did she do it? ' **Who cares?! Take her!'** his beast said, sexually frustrated beyond belief.

Sesshomaru supposed his beast was right for once. Who cared? This could be addressed at a later time. For now, though, this just meant he would be able to please her even further.

Continuing where he left off, Sesshomaru began to kiss up her leg towards her center; that delicious center where her juices pooled and where he knew she wanted him to be. But he decided to make her crazy with want before he tasted her again, by caressing and biting at her inner thighs.

"Ah.. Ahhhh….. More," Kagome panted. Her mind was mush and she could no longer think. He was biting and licking everywhere and everything and it felt so gooooood…

Now, he could melt her. He began lapping at her bundle of nerves in a slow and sensual manner causing Kagome to moan out even more. Occasionally, he would insert his tongue into her slickness in a sadistic way to relish in the feeling of her becoming undone.

"Sesshomaru… ahh… it's building…. More, more." Kagome couldn't take it. She was writhing and ready to explode. The pressure was building and she needed to release.

Sesshomaru was seeing red. He wanted his little miko to experience her first release at his bidding, but he also wanted to torture her and keep her begging him for it. He wanted to hold off mating her, but it didn't look like he would be able to.

He inserted a finger into moist channel and then another. Her peak came down on her hard, legs wrapped around Sesshomaru's head as if to suffocate and keep him there. And he loved every bit of it. Without wasting a moment and keeping her in her high, he rubbed his engorged member upon on her core letting her feel him prepare to enter. She gasped at the size and dazedly looked upon his face. She was aware of what was about to happen, but was also unaware in a sense.

"Kagome, this will hurt at first, but only for a moment." He wanted her to be as prepared as she could, but he knew his size was as godly as they came. With that, he inserted himself partly in her dripping core, stopping at her barrier. She looked at him and nodded her head, hands bracing on his shoulders to give him the go ahead. He continued into her tight sheath, and all reasoning was out the window.

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes at the mix of pain and pleasure. Soon though, she could only feel pleasure and Sesshomaru continued to plunge deeper and deeper into his chosen female. The sound of clapping and wetness to could be heard throughout the area. She was reaching another peak. Sesshomaru's beast howled in delight. He wanted more and her moaning told him that she did too. So, he flipped her over on all fours and took her in the true way of the Inu while playing with her sensitive clit.

' **So good. So fucking good'**. She was about to climax again and he would join her. As he reached his own peak, his fangs lengthened in preparation to mark her, but by somehow and some miracle, he did not. He wanted to save that for when he took her again, away from the spring, so that she could fully give herself to him – 'well, perhaps tie her down to me is more appropriate.' He came down harder than ever before. It was no wonder why he was never interested in a mate. Not one of them could pull the amount of sexual prowess from him as his little miko did. His seed spilled completely into her awaiting womb and Kagome gasped at feeling so full and complete.

Sesshomaru panted as he came down and proceeded to turn Kagome over. Her face was flushed and her breathing was slow and steady as she gazed at him. **'So beautiful'** the beast and Sesshomaru thought together.

He originally planned on taking her once they reached his castle, so that he could ravish her for days and do all the things his beast had teased him with before. But his beast wanted more now, especially since Sesshomaru wouldn't mark his intended just yet. But he knew this was why he didn't want to take her tonight, because once he did, he wouldn't be able to stop. So, he continued to pleasure her and himself until she was spent and fast asleep, hours later, upon the forest floor, amongst the flowers.

***** ****** ******I had no intention of doing a lemon lemon… I was thinking I would do lemon pieces, but then the writing for this just kept going and what was I supposed to do? So here you are.


	19. Chapter 19

**Previously….**

Sesshomaru and Kagome strengthened the growing bond between them, very lustfully, might I add.

 **Now….**

Sesshomaru laid upon the flowers with his intended, gazing at her sleeping face, her mouth agape, with a very tiny amount of drool stemming from it. But, he didn't mind. He could wake up to her serenity every morning for eternity, as long as she was with him.

' **Like a love struck pup.'**

A low growl emerged from his throat, threatening his beast to silence. 'This Sesshomaru is no pup, nor is he love struck.'

' **It matters not if you admit it. Feed mate. She will wake soon.** '

'Know your place.'

Sesshomaru heard his beast grumble more, but it didn't want to argue with him since his instincts were telling him to provide for her. He would give the "rational side" a chance to do as he asked before the hell-fire would start. He knew that he felt exactly as he himself did, so he would do what was asked, regardless.

Sesshomaru stood and decided to wash up in the hot springs before he prepared to hunt for his soon to be mate. He bent over to pick her up and carry her back into the water, washing her slightly to remove the sweat and stickiness of the prior night's activities. His scent clung to her curvaceous body heavily, something that he found great pleasure in, and if he didn't know of her uncontrollable urge to be clean, he would have left her as is and simply clothed her instead, so all could know to whom she belonged.

As the heat of the water reached her more feminine parts, a slight hissing could be heard, making his actions cease in order to soothe the area for her. Kagome groaned unpleasantly, which rattled him further because he wanted to please her, not make her more uncomfortable. He had no problem carrying his intended during their travel, but her independence would forbid it, he knew, so he did the only alternative he had to give her comfort. Knowing the healing properties of his saliva, he decided a nice stroke was the remedy she would need to ease the ache. Of course, this was a win-win situation. He would be able to taste her juices to his delight, and she would not feel discontent during their hike. Yes, this was all about her, he smirked to himself.

As he gazed down and lowered himself to her center, slowly, he brushed his tongue against her womanhood, and blood rushed to his thick muscle. His eyes tinted red, but they did not turn blood red, as he maintained control and stroked a few times more. Then, Kagome let out a pleased whimper, causing Sesshomaru to stop – anymore of that, and he would be preparing her for another all-day, Daiyoukai pleasure session, where her will is his command; Damn the day and the sun, considering it was starting to peak over the horizon. But, he was Sesshomaru, epitome of perfection. His control has been exercised since he was a pup, even when he wanted to kill off a good number of demons around the palace and show them their place.

 **Flashback**

Sesshomaru had been walking along the out-skirts of the palace, looking for some semblance of peace and quiet as his mind was occupied with thoughts of supreme conquest, and how to achieve it. He was only around 298 in demon years, but looked similar to a 15 year old in human years at the time. His father had died only months ago, and he was constantly reminded with the whispers of the castle. Most of Lords of the Court didn't think he was fit to take over and begin ruling the Western lands, although 95% of the reason is because they wanted it for themselves; The position, the power. It was highly coveted, but none would dare approach to try and take it from him, especially after he put one lord in his place. Correction: in places.

Approximately two months after Inu No Taisho died protecting that useless human hime, one Lord sought the throne. Lord Haruko was fairly powerful, not a daiyoukai, but none could argue his prowess and power as a noble. He was a major Lord of the Southwestern quadrant of the West and ruled with an iron fist, even with the humans. In his words, "no mere pup was ready to take on the tasks of ruling the West," regardless of his mother's adeptness and viciousness in the court. Those were the Lady's honors, yes, but the noble Lord was sick of hearing whispers of doubt in Sesshomaru's capabilities, yet none would never broach the topic. His mother never voiced her concerns on the matter, but none could tell if it was due to the shocking death of her mate, or rather she had the utmost confidence in the lad. But, this Lord would not whisper, and he would not wait. Lord Haruko would show Sesshomaru that he was not ready.

During a previously scheduled council meeting that was called to review the lands harvests, trade routes, and overall productivity of goods such as silks and precious metals, Lord Haruko decided to inform the council of his "humble" decision to take over as Lord of the West until Sesshomaru was more mature.

"It would seem that there is unrest in the West. The society is concerned that with such a young Lord, we may appear weak and be susceptible to attacks from other lands, due to our "lack of experience," Lord Haruko stated snidely. "I offer myself to govern these lands until our young Lord is more adept with experience and military strategy and tactics. My name and accomplishments reach far and wide, thus assuring the West remains feared by all."

Murmurs could be heard as very few considered the argument provided, but Sesshomaru would have none of it. No one would question his skill and experience, though he could tell this was actually more of an insult. This so called "Lord" simply wanted the West for himself. He was no fool. While roaming the citadel, he was aware of the whispers and of few. How could he not be with his impeccable hearing? This was the perfect chance to finally put those concerns to rest. He would end him.

As an elder was about to speak up, Sesshomaru intervened. "You think this Sesshomaru is weak? You think this one incapable and inexperienced?"

Lord Haruko was about to reply when Sesshomaru intervened once more. "Foolishness. Choose your weapon. We fight to the death, in the court yard, here and now. This one will not allow you to destroy my personal garden after all." A devilish smirk played at Haruko's lips, "If you are sure, but how would you mother feel if she lost you too?" Sesshomaru ignored the pointed remark and walked gracefully to the yard as the council followed. There was no point in interfering because the Challenge had been issued and accepted. Demons around the castle stopped in their work to observe the altercation with bated breath. Not many had been able to view their young Lord's skill or prowess in battle, even though they had heard of his ruthlessness. But seeing is believing and this would definitely cease any rumors that doubted his capabilities.

"This one will proctor this battle" Inu-Kimi stated. An elder stepped forward at the statement. He was an older dog demon named Kairo who appeared to be 45 in human years. He was still muscularly built and wore ivory silk that favored a toga from Greek Mythology instead of a kimono. He had an exotic appeal with black hair, streaked silver, tied down in a braid that fell just past his waist. His eyebrows were prominent and thickly black, but his silvery eyes struck out even further than his pectorals. "Surely, InuKimi-sama would not want to be responsible for having to announce the victor of this battle. I would be honored in your steed."

InuKimi cut her eyes disinterestedly at Kairo, who wondered if perhaps she had no heart for her son, even in these circumstances, when she spoke "You would truly call this a battle? It would take this one longer to drink one cup of tea. Be sure not to blink, else you might miss it." Kairo was slightly surprised by her words since he had never been able to observe the young Lord in battle, but he did not question his rule either. He could tell he was strong, but InuKimi's confidence suggested he was far more powerful than what he had surmised. He would do as suggested, and not blink.

As InuKimi raised her fan, she spoke "challengers prepare yourselves." Lord Haruko grinned sinisterly. "Are you sure you want to do this young Lord? Your mother is already without her mate and to lose a son, I just couldn't imagine. I will allow you bow out gracefully my boy." Haruko drew his sword. InuKimi chanced a glanced at Sesshomaru, fan still raised in the air to allow him a couple of seconds to reply, but she knew he would not. Sesshomaru smirked like a predator. Since his father's death, he's wanted to kill at least a quarter of the fools around the palace to show them their place, but instead he kept his emotions in check and considered all beneath him. But now, there was no need for control. He would thoroughly enjoy tearing apart his opponent. He would make it a game; 'How fast can I separate all of his limbs?' Pure predatorial ( probably not a word) joy surfaced in Sesshomaru's eyes.

InuKimi observed Sesshomaru during these short few seconds, mirth behind her eyes. She's never saw her son smile again once he began sword training, and for her to see it now…. Well. "Maya?" The servant appeared at once, slightly fearful of why she had been called considering the challenge about to take place. "Prepare the rose tea in the garden. This one will arrive shortly." The servant chanced a glance at her lady, but decided not to question it. "Yes, my Lady." And she was gone.

Haruko, feeling slighted by the small side bar let his dissatisfaction known in the scowl on his face. InuKimi looked at each challenger once more, and dropped the fan, signaling the start of the battle. Haruko grinned, "Here I come _young Lord_." The crowd stared as Haruko took off at demonic speed towards their demon Lord. In the short time frame, Sesshomaru simply stood there as he approached, smile widening even further as his eyes bled red. He would not transform for his opponent, as neither he nor the onlookers were worthy to view it.

Everything happened within seconds. With an undetectable exhale, Sesshomaru met his opponent near the center of the grounds, smile never leaving his face. As Haruko swung down in a diagonal arc from right to left, Sesshomaru parried the attack and cut through his opponent's sword, immediately cutting off the right leg, then the left. Then, within nanoseconds, he followed up and severed the left arm and right arm at the elbow. Noble or not, it only took him two seconds after engaging the enemy to dismember him. Loud wales could be heard. Haruko was in shock. He was bleeding profusely everywhere and could not simply focus on one thing. He snarled as Sesshomaru loomed over him, anger and rage prominent in his facial features. Sesshomaru continued to smile uncharacteristically at him as an added form of torture to one who sought what did not belong to him. This would teach him, and the fools who doubted him. The scent of fear was heavy from the crowd. None could believe it and all stood with bated breath for him to finish the Lord off. If it was this easy for him to destroy a noble, then surely there was no need to doubt that the West was secure. The silence was broken by the noble.

"You don't deserve throne! You know nothing of politics, boy!" The smile from Sesshomaru's face dropped and was replaced by disgust. Instead of answering the self-serving comment, he flicked the blood from his sword and sheathed it. Before the noble could utter another word, he sliced off his head with his poison whip, then doused all the remains with poison to remove the offense. From there, he proceeded to walk away and secure his lands once more.

 **End Flashback**

Coming back to reality, he focused himself on the tasks at hand. He would not give in to animalistic desires like a mindless baboon…. Maybe…. For now.

As he hoisted her up with both arms, he dressed smoothly and quickly. Kagome was sleeping like a log, as she didn't move, shiver, or notice anything. Perhaps it was a testament to how much she trusted him. Maybe, he put it down so well, she's simply exhausted and needs the extra rest. But that begs the question: whenever he had spied on her, she would always wake around this time of day, no matter how gruesome the prior day's journey was, so why not now?

While he continued to contemplate his Miko, he took a moment to fully reassess their location. The clearing had filled with so many different flowers: lilies, daisies, and the occasional rose were spotted all around. They were not flourishing to this extent when they had first arrived. The grass was greener and the spring was clearer, too. And, he had another arm.

' **She is more powerful than we first thought**.'

Sesshomaru agreed. Flexing his arm and assessing his claws, he decided to generate his poisonous whip and slice up a tree as if chopping firewood, watching the pieces fall into a nice pile. No human could count the number of cuts that was made, but a demon would most certainly keep their distance of the daiyoukai. He was astounded by the natural feel of his newly attached appendage, as if it were never missing. He could hardly wait to continue using it to pleasure his love. The gift she had bestowed upon him…. He's never been speechless before… the feeling was so unsettling… the only thing he could think of that would even remotely compare, would be to pledge his undying loyalty and love (he imagined it would happen) to her, though that was part of mating her. He was so immersed in his thoughts that this may have been the only time someone could have snuck up on him and lived to tell the tale.

Too wrapped in his own musings, his head snapped back to her. Her stomach rumbled slightly although she was still sleeping. He decided he would think on what he could do later, and for now, take her back to Ah Un whilst he hunted. He would make sure all her needs were met.

**********Worry not. I have not abandoned the story. I was being trifling, yes, but I will continue the story.


	20. Chapter 20

**Previously….**

Sesshomaru prepared to leave the clearing after cleaning up in the hot spring with Kagome. Jett approached Mira in order to have her unknowingly aid him in his sadistic adventures.

 **Back with Jett**

As the hours passed by, so did the time in which Jett would need to report back Tatsuo and his Lord. Staying in this time too long could very well kill him just by being where he didn't belong, until the seal was fully broken. The fastest thing he could do was start trouble for one last assessment, before he returned. Now that there was a fair amount of distance between the Miko and himself, he could approach the damsel.

Mira had still been a little ways from the clearing, far enough not to hear the night's festivities, nor raise any alarm for concern. Her wound was still oozing her blood, taking a longer time to heal from the purity of the attack. Ryoko had been tending to her and bandaged the larger wound. All things considered, the bleeding had slowed considerably and she was no longer in any danger of bleeding out. But she couldn't leave the area until the wound healed more.

Sensing Jett, Ryoko moved to shield her Lady from the threat. He appeared surprised to see her show up, but she was used to it. Her aura was unique, belonging to a clan hidden across the continent that specializes in assassinations because their aura and yokai appears weak and almost non-existent, which they are compared to all daiyoukai and most upper level demons. But, if your enemy is invisible in plain sight, how could you stop them from ripping your heart out? Decapitation? The answer is that you don't, unless your senses are heightened like the canine species and you could listen for movements, breathing, and other noises. But before, almost no one had ever sensed them, except Mikos and demons of great power like daiyoukai, so it never surprised her when she startled the enemy.

"Well, well, well... God that scent burns my nose, but it looks even worse! Does it hurt?" he spoke familiarly, almost teasingly, to a seething Mira.

"Do not approach my Lady, demon. That is your only warning," Ryoko crouched, ready to go at a moment's notice. She continued to size him up, senses on high alert after feeling the effects of the "haze." This is what her people referred to it as whenever someone was shifting through dimensions. It was like a rift through the present time that was visible to them only.

Jett continued to size up the hand maiden, wondering if he she give her the time of day or not. He didn't have much time to set things in motion before he returned to his companions. If she was somewhat powerful, why wouldn't she defend her lady against Kagome?

Unbeknownst to him, there were a couple reasons for that. For one, she was told never to interfere in her Lady's battle again. She had tried once before when her Lady began an altercation with another Lady of the Court, and was ordered to death by her Lady's father. Mira had not wanted her to die, and resolved to issue Ryoko 100 lashes in front of everyone to spare her. Before, Mira had never displayed many actions of violence or initiative, so her father accepted, hoping he could make her more ruthless (only when necessary, of course). But, he would not forgive the transgression again. Then, the other thing was that the Priestess could sense her aura and whereabouts. Only the strong, or those several times more powerful than herself could accomplish that feat. And, the last issue was the Priestess's power. She had not assessed her level yet, and by the company she kept suggested one thing: the Miko would destroy her.

"Wooaahh... Easy there. If I wanted to kill her, I would have already attacked by now," Jett claimed with hands up to show he meant no harm.

"Then what do you want?" Mira spoke up, brows furrowed.

"Honestly….. Nothing. I just came to investigate the depth and purity of the wound you're sporting, for personal reasons. As alarming as that can be to almost all demons, I am a curious being. It's a shame how such a beautiful, strong, and unmated demoness such as yourself was looked over by the Western Lord for a mere Miko; a human, at that!" He casually looked over to the demoness from the corner of his eyes, as he walked and leaned up against a tree across from the pair, smugly waiting to hear her retaliate. As expected, he was not disappointed.

"I was not looked over!" Mira yelled. "She has somehow bewitched him with her powers into thinking that he wants her. She is obviously formidable when you take a look at what happened to me. I simply underestimated her… which won't happen again. We'll see what he thinks when I kill the girl."

"Ohh… Now that is something I would like to see. Perhaps I'll watch from afar and see what happens. Maybe I'll give you a parting gift to help you heal faster."

"Now why would you want to do that?"

"Personal reasons…. Let's just say, misery loves company, and I enjoy being in the company of watching other people's pain."

"So you're a sadistic fool?" Mira asked.

Jett brought his hand to his chin and closed his eyes as if seriously contemplating the statement. "Hmmmm… You're not wrong… but that may be putting it too simply. I'm more sophisticated than that."

"Enough! How can you heal me?"

"That is simple. Take this slight ball of dark energy"….. She looked at it orb and hovered her hands to surround it.

"Good. Now, just simply absorb the energy into your youki. Because you are a demon, this will restore your strength and power. I will warn you though, this energy is not available in a surplus amount, so don't bother asking for more… Giving you this is taking too much away from me already, but my curiosity has gotten the better of me, so what can I say." Jett casually shrugged his shoulders and lifted his hands in the air as if to say "oh well."

"Well, I'll tell you what I think; you are definitely foolish, but I will take your offering. What might such dark energy do to someone…..? Say… as pure as the Miko?" Mira asked as she absorbed the energy, relishing in the slight power boost and healing it bestowed upon her.

"I'm no longer sure which of us is the sadistic one here… but I assume it would darken her magic and purity, probably make her explode in pain from the inside out; maybe even make her lose her mind, and then eventually, death" Jett said with the shrug of his shoulders as if he could careless, since it was not something they would do to her. They needed the Miko to restore themselves, but afterwards, she was fair game. That thought caused an evil smirk to drift over his handsome, dark features.

"Pity you say your supply is…. limited…" Mira could finally stand. Somehow, someway, the dark energy mingled with hers and actually accelerated her healing. She felt stronger and more confident than before (if that was possible). It still wasn't 100%, but at least now she wasn't easy pickings.

Ryoko watched on in mild interest, staying vigilant and on high alert while in the vicinity of their unruly acquaintance. Her experience in aura manipulation and training served as a reminder that demons do not heal well when the wound is caused by purity, no matter what actions are taken. She had no doubt that the dark energy would restore her Lady's strength and help to heal her. However, that was the least of her worries. What concerned her was the thought of a prophecy, passed down through centuries, of her family's line, demons with seemingly non-existent auras. The only beings ever rumored to have the capability of doing such things, no longer existed in this world, and even those beings did not possess infinite dark energy. That particular specialty is why the creatures had high value in the demon realm, especially during the Heian Time Period (random part of Japan history I chose). Battles between demons, monks, and priestesses were a normal, every other day occurrence, but more amazing was the fact that her family line held fast, with very few deaths during those times. Casualties were 2:1, the humans being the lesser of the two, which always seemed strange to the demoness considering demons were more swift, agile, and overall, the superior species between the two. When she questioned the reasoning behind battles and unbelievable overall victory of humanity, the answer she received was not what she expected. Apparently, her own family line, Asahi of Nature, sided with the humans. They understood the importance of balance and life through all beings. Only demons closer to the power of at least a noble or higher (even closer to daiyoukai) had the wherewithal to sense any Asahi clan member. Most of the time, if they were sensed during the heat of battle, it was too late and heads were rolling left and right. Stealth was their prowess. It's as if their line owns the right to the word "Assassin".

But still. Back then, as far as she'd heard, the more of her people you owned, be it slave or by loyalty, the more likely you were to survive and be victorious. In the end, that same phenomenon is also what caused their near extinction.

The Asahi clan and the Void – the dark demons with the ability to phase into a particular area (like teleport), were constantly clashing with each other. The Void could get you and a small battalion well into an enemy's territory, but the Asahi would sense you before you arrived. That was how the clans offset each other, which made some minor lords who craved more power, launched attacks on both home fronts hoping to eliminate both clans entirely.

It's been said that because both clans were coveted by many, procreation slowed. More and more of the Asahi died in battle from wars brought to their doorsteps because of their abilities. There was no escape for the young either. The last of the Void had perished at the hands of a priestess hundreds of years ago, 'so the story goes. So why now, of all times, does someone with that ability, show up out of the blue?' Ryoko thought. She knew she couldn't stop her Lady from the path she was about to partake, but she hoped she would help her see her true value. She would not allow her mistress to fall into the easy trap setup by that Void demon without a fight. She already promised she would help her lady find happiness one day. There would be someone waiting for her who would accept everything she had to offer. Her Lady just needed to be patient.

But in a way, it was good that she would attempt to seek out the Priestess in her ever-growing frustrations. It would give her a chance to speak with her again about her suspicions, after she observed her a little more. She needed to confirm if the Miko could be trusted. If what she thought was true, heads would roll and lands would crumble. The world would be restructured and flipped upside down by the end of everything. And, if the Priestess appeared untrustworthy, then hell's flames would flare and burn that much hotter when the prophecy was fulfilled.

"Ryoko. We shall take are leave," Mira said interrupting her thoughts.

"By your leave my Lady."

Mira headed towards the West at a casual pace with her servant in tow. She glanced while scowling at Jett, then turned her head with her nose turned up in the typical stuck-up fashion.

Jett casually brushed off the insult and said "don't worry about me. I'll be flying around somewhere observing what you decide to do. I'm sure I'll be entertained no matter what." Jett said.

Ryoko scowled at him for his impudence. If what she thought about him was true, she had a feeling she would be helping to return him to wherever it was he came from.

"Do as you wish," Mira said. "Just don't get in my way."

"Gladly."

What that said, they journeyed towards the core of the Western Lands where the palace awaited. Mira took a leisurely pace, hoping to come up with some form of plan to ruin the Miko. If she couldn't have Sesshomaru, then no one could, or at least, not the Miko.

 **Things to know:**

 **Void Clan** – Clan of demons with the ability to harness darkness somewhat, and use it in one or two ways that is similar to a priestess. They also have the ability to **phase** through dimensions for the purpose of leaving one area and going to another. This is almost never a precise location, just a relative location and can be impacted by barriers, demonic strength of an area, etc. **Haze** is the residue created from phasing through dimensions.

 **Asahi Clan** – Clan of demons with seemingly non-existent auras and youki. They do actually have both, but it is undetectable by demons who are not higher tier demons. If demons had a scale from 1-7, 7 being the highest, only a 6 or 7 would sense the clan member, and the 6 would sense them after various seconds have already gone by, but they could see them no problem. This clan has been trained in the art of assassination and aura control and manipulation. They are not always the strongest, but their stealth capabilities more than make up for that.

It's been so long since I wrote an update. I know. I already said I'm trifling. I was honest. What more can I say? Yall see them Ravens lose tonight in the NFL? I was so excited lol


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